Sister Quest I: My Little Sister Can't be in Japan
by Dark Glass01
Summary: Drake was just an ordinary boy, until an unexpected surprise sends him on a journey to Japan to find his half-sister. First stop; Chiba, where he ends up landing flat in the middle of a sibling conflict with its own hidden problems. Rated T for romance and possible strong langue. KyousukexKirino OCxAyase . Some Love Hina/ Nakaimo crossover.
1. Prologue: The Three Little Sisters

**Author Notes: Alright, I'm going to give this a go.**

**Incest will be a core theme of this story. If this offends your sensibilities in any way, you may choose not to read further. Flames based solely on my topic matter will be used to roast marshmallows. **

**This story will be the first in a series based around this character, and his journey. Along the way, there will be crossover references and occasional characters, but each story will try to say within one set of characters as much as possible (though some may be recurring). **

**This chapter has undergone my refining process. **

* * *

Tonight was a moonless night.

All across Japan, many had already yielded to the force of the hour, softly snoring in their beds and resting for the next day. In the cities, cars and trains still roared along, and the lights of the plazas still glimmered, but farther away, even these had succumbed, the streets and lamps of the smaller towns still. Only the island itself seemed awake, the wind's whistle and buzzing of bugs the only permiating sound.

It was a peaceful night. Yet, scattered throughout the nation, three young women where all staring into their own lights, sleepless. They did not know each other nor, if they had, would have probably wanted to socialize. Yet, for all their differences, there hearts where all plagued by the same common ache.

"_Attention passengers_," The stewardess in front politely vocalized. "_We've begun are decent into the Beijing Capital International Airport. Please return your tray tables to the locked and upright position, and refrain from operating any electronic devices for the duration of our flight. Thank you for choosing Transcontinental Airlines, and enjoy your stay_."

The noise gently shook Kanako Urashima from her thoughts, the gothic princess having been staring into the sky for hours. She couldn't quite remember how long they'd been flying; when your grandmother is an adventurer and you do all her traveling with her, you tend to lose track of things like that. However, she could tell it had been many hours, as she had already lost the feeling in her legs and back. This high up, it was still possible to to see the stars though the light pollution of the city, shimmering beautifully when for all intents and purposes she still should have been asleep. "_And I was having such a wonderful dream as well," _ she mused as she sighed, looking down at the massive beating heart that was Beijing, Grandma Hina's next destination. "_At her age, you'd think she'd settle down a little..."_

As if on cue, Kanako felt somebody stir at her side, tiny and soft. "Hmmm," it groaned, as the old woman managed to straighten herself out. "Kanako dear," her voice was semi-groggy, but gentle. "Where am I?"

_"_We're on the plane to Beijing, Grandma Hina." She rested a had on her grandmother's shoulder. She seemed so light, so small... _how on earth does she keep finding the energy to do these sorts of things? _ "We'll be landing soon. Did you sleep well?"

Grandma Hina laughed a little at this, her eyes finally awake. "Oh, you know how it is for old women like me. I'll sleep like I'm dead! And what about you?"

Something stirred in Kanako's chest and eyes, but she put it down. _She can't know... not now. _"I... couldn't sleep." She turned to the window again, the stars fading as they where swallowed up by the lights of the great city. "I was thinking about someone I haven't seen in a very long time."

This time, her grandmother took her hand. "You know what I do when I want to talk to somebody, Kanako? It's an ancient technique passed down by your ancestors for generations. It's called writing a letter." She smiled slyly, before settling back into her seat. "Now, be a good girl and wake granny up when we land, alright?"

Soon, Hina was snoring again, but Kanako had taken her advice to heart, opening her notebook and gathering the courage to write those precious words.

* * *

_"Oni-Sammi?"_ a voice sounded from outside the room, timid and sweet. _"Can I come in... please?"_

The room was pink, quite pink, with a poster bed and a PC set up in the corner. However, the room this girl was looking at was fully dark, with just a faint hint of moonlight seeping in through a crack in the blinds. Kirino looked at the room with intensely focused eyes, engrossed in her dirty pleasure. The options listed themselves out on the screen.

_1. Let her in_

_2. Continue talking through the door_

_3. Tell her to leave._

Of course, the answer was obvious to her trained mind, and soon her cursor was flying over to option one, smiling to see that cute little face once again. There was just something about little sisters that made her happy, a far cry from her normally self-righteous attitude. They where just so cute! How could anybody ever yell at or deny them? Her heart always jumped when she thought about it, and was just the way she liked it.

"That's it," she mumbled to herself. _The text started to roll and the pictures changed, to show the little sister walking into the room, clutching her sheets tight around her body. "I... I thought I heard somebody downstairs, and I can't sleep. Could I... stay here with you?" Her eyes pleaded with an innocent fear, the terror of something going wrong. _

That line... Kirino felt it tug at a string in her heart. Fear... she knew fear. Hesitantly , she sat in silence, staring at her door like a deer in the headlights and listening for any sounds. Minutes passed of nothing, yet that twinge of fear refused to go away. If anybody found out what she was doing, ANYBODY... well, she didn't know how to finish that sentence. Like that, every muscle in her body was tight again, the defensive anger she'd grown so accustomed to trying to refill her heart. "What is wrong with the world..." she cursed under her breath as she turned back to the game, the options arraying themselves.

_1. Let her sleep in the bed._

_2. Comfort her, then send her back_

_3. Kick her out of the room_

_4. Let her sleep on the floor._

A storyline split... before anything else she headed up to save the game, the cheery title music playing into her headphones as she watched the bars fill. Soon though, even that comfort was gone as she was faced with the options, flittering between one and two. Both made sense, in their own way... it would depend a lot on things she didn't know yet. Of course, eventually, she settled for clicking 1, and the girl's face turned to a releaved and loving smile in still dreary world.

* * *

She liked to take walks at night.

The figure was wandering down the sidewalk of her small city, the occasional street lamp the only source of light. However, it was little enough that, if you where to walk by, you wouldn't have been able to tell much about her. She was just like any young women, trying to get where she needed to go, moving with a bit of a skip to her step. Her dress was long and dark, a wide-brimmed hat shading her head, but her form was still clearly feminine, her mouth just visible with a smile.

She'd just only heard the news, that of her father's illness. Granted, news of Kumagoro Mikadono's problems spread just about equally through the nation, but what it meant for her wasn't so much a cause for sadness. After all, it would be her first chance to see the person she'd desired for so long, though only knowing him through what she'd gathered and what others told her. Very soon, she would be near him, could speak with him, just as the world had meant it to be. What did they know, the rest of them? Why should they get to decide who she could love? It would take work to make him see, yes... but even such a wonderful person as him couldn't resist what was destined to be. Nothing could.

That thought widened the smile on her face as she skipped along, passing a park to her left and watching another young couple meet by the moonlight, the love clear in their eyes, whispering in each other's ear. That would be her soon... she had waited her whole life, she could bear a few more months.

* * *

"I love you Oni-Chan" she wrote.

* * *

"I love you Oni-Chan" she saw.

* * *

"I love you Oni-Chan" she said.


	2. Chapter I: My Little Sister? Can't be!

**Author Notes: He he, minor mistake on story properties. Corrected. **

**I'm not totally confident in my ability to write this well, but I'm going to try it anyways. This chapter is mainly set-up for the protagonist, to explain how he gets in the situations of the story, so please bear with me. It is also written in first person because I believe it sounds better for it, but a majority of this story will be third person. **

**This chapter has undergone my refining process**

I really don't want to be here right now.

If you'd told me earlier to today that something unusual would happen, I'd probably have shrugged it off If you'd also told me that this something would have changed my life forever, I'd have called you crazy. And, if you'd topped it off by telling me I'd be having this man stare me right in the face... well, at that point I'd probably have started backing away slowly.

But listen to me, rambling on. Maybe I'm just trying to avoid the inevitable. This whole situation is just... well, stressful. So, here I am, sitting in front of my father's lawyer, Tass Johnson. I couldn't come up with a more plain room if I tried; beige paint, one wall lined with dusty bookshelves that look like they haven't been touched in years, no window, and just a wooden table and a few office chairs as furniture. However, I found myself trying as hard as I could to focus on these things because the man across from me was ... well, he was flat-out scary. Everything about him is sharp; gaunt cheeks, hooked nose, spotless black suit, pixie cut hair... and his eyes, cold, piercing blue, looking straight into my soul. "I must say, Mr. Deikmann, I had hoped to be seeing you under better circumstances." he spoke, his voice like a sharpening knife. " The news of your father's death has shaken me quite deeply."

I wished I could carry myself with the confidence he did right now, all prim and proper, but I just couldn't pull it off. In fact, Everything was just swimming around in my head these past few hours, managing to force myself into this room but little less.. My dishwater blond hair was still matted and scraggly from soccer earlier, the bangs hanging down just into my field of vision. I hadn't bothered to shave this morning, so the stubble was itching away at my chin. Heck, I could even smell my nervousness, seeping out of my pits like a foul illness. But I could have dealt with that, all of it, if I didn't have to deal with HIM. It was all I could do not to start shaking under his stern gaze, my lips locked tight as I tried to keep calm.

"Be that as it may, we do have a few issues to discuss," Tass popped open the briefcase on the table in front of him, polished black leather." Outstanding debts, assorted legal documents, fiscal transfers and all that," he mussed as he flipped through the files, not slouching in inch. "Most of these I can take care of myself, but as his next of kin I'll need you to sign off on a few of these." papers were piled and shuffled by his expert hands, me just watching dumbly, trying to grab onto his words . To be honest, I'm not quite sure exactly what most of this stuff was, and until he reached bottom I really couldn't even bring myself to look up, for fear of making eye contact and freezing up. Then, though, something amazing happened. Out of the corner of my downturned eye, I spoted a change in his face, from confident, emotionless business to a somewhat confused look, eyebrows arching as he pulled out what appeared to be an old VHS tape, turning it about in his hands as if to check it.

"Ah yes," he stated, almost to himself, after a moment. "I remember you now." Our eyes met again, mine flinching back before, with a deep breath, I felt the stifling professionalism drop. There was nothing but silence in the room, him trying to read me and me slowly taking hold of myself, until he took in a deep breath, setting it down and placing his chin into his hands, propping himself onto the table.

"Excuse me sir," I chime in, stuttering a bit as I felt him turn back to me, a bit of his intimidating aura returning. For once, though, I was glad that I had a generally expressive voice; when I was stressing out like that, I never sounded quite as uneased as actually was. "I'm still feeling a little... overwhelmed by all of this," I started shifting about in my chair. "Could we just get on with this?"

"Yes, Mr. Deikmann." He gestured back down, me finding myself obeying his suggestion without pause, settling my back into my former position. "I believe I have the documentation somewhere..." he mumbled under his breath as he shifted through the files, my foot tapping nervously. Could he just hurry up already? Eventually though, he settled on one, pulling it out and curtly nodding to himself. "And I quote "In the event of my demise, the video in question is to be shown to my son, Drake P. Deikmann, and only him." unqoute." Mr. Johnson settled the paper back into the case, placing the tape into my hand. "Now" he slid another pile of paper forward as I placed the tape into my lap, the plastic seemingly warm. "If I could just get your signature as his next of kin."

* * *

I didn't really think much about what I did that evening. All I had wanted to do was get out of there, my mind struggling to grab onto the simplest of facts as simply signed where he'd ordered me to. Tommarow, it would be in the the local paper, and the office was already boxing up his things to send to the little red house with the abnormally large front porch he called home. When I walked into that same house, nobody was sitting their, reading a book or typing away at his computer. Dinner was his favorite, home-made lasagna, but I ended up eating it all myself. Even in my own room, this fact remained too true to ignore; Benjemin Deikmann, International Business Associate and Father, was dead, and nothing I could do would change that.

I found myself sitting on my bed, alone, staring up at the ceiling. It had all happened so quickly, so unexpectedly. Just this morning, I'd heard him back out into the streets, ready for another day representing and advertising for his company around the globe. Just this morning, I'd been feeling extremely happy, psyched for the soccer practice and the day's history exam. Now...

I let my hand go loose, letting the VHS tape slide to the ground, making a soft thud against the carpet. I though back to that moment earlier when Mr. Johnson, his presence intimating as ever, had given me the news. Dozens of questions ran through my mind, a simple why prominent among them. Why had this happened? Why did I have to be alone? WHY? Somewhere, deep down, I knew I wasn't going to get an answer, but that didn't stop me from wanting one.

Dejected, I rolled out of my bed, falling face-first into the carpet. I felt something I knew all too well at this point; namely, nothing. It was just they way I worked, I suppose; it was all just too much, my emotions shorting themselves out. My heart was just empty as I stood up, my foot hitting something black and hard as it shifted.

Oh yes... the cassette. My eyes blank, I lean over to pick it up, catching just the faintest scent of Mr. Johnson's aftershave on it. The cassette father had made just for me... something he couldn't even let his steel-hearted lawyer know. Thinking about him as if he where still here made me smile the slightest bit, as I glanced over to the old TV, the VCR still hanging around after years of disuse. I take a step over, the single question taking prominence; should I play it? There really is only one answer, and as I slid it into the slot and listen to the whir of the old parts stirring, I can't help but curse the delay.

A few seconds later, I finally get to see what I'm looking for. The old man, face somber but full of life, was sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring right into the camera with a serious line as his mouth. "Hello, kiddo," he smiled a bit as he said this. "If you're watching this, I want to start with saying I'm sorry. Nobody should have to live seeing so many of their family die." He let out a deep sigh, hanging his head. "If you remember nothing else, just remember that no matter what it was that killed me, I tried as hard as I could stay alive." That struck something in my heart, pulling up the word's I'd first been told down at the school office. _Flattened by a bus... what are the odds? _"However," he continued, taking a deep breath and holding his fists tight. "I... I'm sorry. This is hard to tell you. I've never told anybody this before... my deepest secret." I thought I could see a tear welling up, and at knew instantly it was that serious; nothing, not since I'd been born, had ever made my father cry, my fingers gripping the bed sheets as I settled myself back down. "Give me a moment, please," I watched the tap flicker for a moment, telling me he'd paused and restarted, his face now dry and clear, jaw and lip stiff.

" I've never blamed you for your mother, just know that. But, after she died, well... for awhile I was grieving, but as you got older, what I really needed was to touch a woman again. There was this business trip to Japan and..." he stopped, growling under his breath as tears welled up, bringing another flicker. "Drake... I'll just say it straight up. You have a sister." Before that, I'd never really believed anything was jaw-dropping, but sure enough, there was the slack. I had a... sister? My mind swirled again, the number of times I'd complained about being an only child, the way I'd always envy the hugs and comfort my friend's got... everything. I wanted to disbelieve it, I really did; my father, the least sexual man I know, having an illegitimate child was just too weird. But, the way he said it... could it really be a lie? "The fact that I just left her like that has haunted me since the day I'd first heard about it. But, if I'd told the company what had happened..." he stopped, the answer obvious. "Son... if you're not proud of me anymore, I understand. But, even if I'm dead, the last thing I really want is to make sure she know's her father cared. I want you to find her... please." Then, suddenly, he burst out into tears, falling to the bed and not even bothering to pause. Indeed, I felt just a shocked as he did, sitting there looking like an idiot. Eventually, he managed to pause it again, sitting up and with a picture in his hands of a charming Japanese lady, smiling shyly on a bench next to what looked like a younger version of his father. "This is her mother; Shigeko Aragaki ..." he sighed nostalgically at this, smiling. "Such a lovely woman. If only," he seemed to muse to himself, before pulling himself back. "Anyways, find her and you'll find your sister. Just... let her know why.

I love you,son."

The tape ended abruptly, leaving me starting at the screen and thinking only one thought.

"I've always wanted to go to Japan..."

**Author Notes Post-Script: Certainly not my best work. reviews would be greatly appreciated, especially constructive criticism. **


	3. His Little Sister Can't Be My Roommate!

**Author Notes: None really. Other then the fact that I know rather little about the city of Chiba and will probably mess something up. And, to answer your question, GreenandBlue; fan service COULD be in the cards, but that would need two things; it fitting in the story, and fans to service. *hint hint***

**Also, from this point on, I'll be implying everything said is in Japanese, and that Calab has a level of fluency in the tounge... probably get around to explaining why he does later.**

**Anyway, to Chiba!**

**Chp. II: His Little Sister Can't Be My Roomate!**

_"So let me get this straight," Mr. Johnson had told him in their last meeting, never breaking eye contact. "Your father had an illigeitiment child with a women over in Japan, one Shigeko Aragaki, and his last wish was for you to search for said child. This that correct."_

_"Indeed it is, sir," Drake responded, more confident then he'd been earlier, but still unnerved by the awkwardness of the situation. " I've shown you the tape. You know how much it would have meant to him." He had sat with his hands folded in his lap, putting up with the way the tie was ridding up his neck, having a somewhat one-sided stare down._

_After a few moments, Mr. Johnson had sighed, looking indifferent. "Well, I'll have to admit this is a bit unusual, especially considering what I knew about my client." Drake had kept the cassette sitting on the table between them, the plastic glinting off the ceiling's light. "However, I officially noterized this video as a part of his will, and the facts are laid out in his voice." he tapped his pen against the desk. "Now, as the custodian of your estate, there are a few things we need to sort out before your little... excursion."_

Drake walked off the 4:00 into the vast terminal of Narita International Airport, the beating heart of air traffic in Japan. Having never seen anything larger then the Humphrey terminal at the Minneapolis airport (barring his short stop in the Las Angelis for refueling), he suddenly felt so much smaller, surrounded by so many people who didn't know him, didn't look like him. Heck, probably didn't even speak the same langue as he did. All of this, just to follow one little lead. He wandered into the line for customs, standing among people of every description, himself garbed in a pair of dark blue dress pants, a purple polo, and his set of narrow-rimmed spectacles, the smell of humanity giving the place a bit of a ripe atmosphere.

_Three nights ago, he'd been tapping away on his lap-top keyboard, the moon already high overhead. That name had been playing over and over again in his head. Shigeko Aragaki, Shigeko Aragaki... and the hidden face of a sister he'd never met. What was her name, he wondered as he searched for the right sites. What did she look like? How old was she? What was her favorite color? Food? Activity? Even though he'd only really been a brother for two days then, he was already starting to feel like a pretty poor one, distant and ignorant. Still, he worked away, finally pressing the enter key and waiting for the search to be completed._

_A few minutes later, he was presented with a list of names and addresses. Each of these was a women, named Shigeko Aragaki, between the ages of 30 and 55, in the nation of Japan. Yet, even with these conditions, there had to be three dozen people, scattered from Tokyo to Chiba to several of the outlying islands. Somewhat disheartened, he'd thought for a moment it might be hopeless... but, something led his hand over to the URL once again, and soon he was looking for a plane schedule to Narita International._

"Please present your Passport, sir." One of the custom's officials gruffly requested, as Drake realized he'd reached the front of the line. Quickly, he fumbled through his pockets for the little blue book, handing it over and watching it get inspected throughly. "It seems everything's in order. Welcome to Japan." The official gave him a bow before letting him through, into the grand mall that graced the front of the airport, seeing the assorted signs in every tounge imaginable for incoming business men to be escorted.

"Wow," he muttered under is breath in English as he walked along, taking in the sights. It was kind of interesting the things around here; so different from the stores in America. There, your vending machines sold snacks and soda, occasionally socks, while your storefronts where based around a particular category of merchandise. Here... well, he couldn't count the number of things the machines sold, and half the stores seemed to have more of a general theme then selling a type of things; character shops with manga, dolls, and games as opposed to a bookstore, things of that nature. Even the people; back in Minnesota, you had a healthy variety of appearances, but to his untrained eye, so many of the natives looked almost exactly the same. He knew it wasn't really fair; he'd never really had to make a lot of differences between Asians, but it was still a bit creepy. Bright lights seemed to shine everywhere, as he slowly approached the great glass doors that led out of the terminal, and into the places beyond.

_"Now," Mr. Johnson and hold him, citing various document's he'd laid out before him. "Your father had quite a bit of money laid away, if I do say so myself. His life insurance alone is worth nearly 650 thousand, after taxes and fees." Drake could get a solid grasp on what we being spoken off,all the things that had been set up, but he'd never imagined his father had much. Though, in hindsight, not having a wife and only one kid really would have let him save a lot. "Of course, it's yours to take if you want it, but as your counsel I suggest you set up an allowance system, if you insist on this trip."_

_Drake had tried to look over the numbers himself, do the mental math, but there where simply too many, his face stuck in a deep confusion. "And how much would that be?" He asked, somewhat distracted._

_"Well, keeping enough to finish payments on the house, transferring retirement funds and taking into account the funeral expenses... I'd say 14,000 United States dollars a month, if you'll also be attending school while over there. On that, I would STRONGLY advise you." The word strongly had been so deliberately emphasised, Drake really haven't even bothered to reject, merely nodding. "Alright, I can sort out the transfer details, I'll just yours signature here..."_

Before he knew it, Drake was hopping the train system to the Chiba station, a bit distracted by his own thoughts. He knew the first place he was looking for... which, insistently, was also going to be the location of the school he would be attending; the city of Chiba, largest city in the Prefecture, and home to Shigeko Aragaki. He'd figured that being close to a major urban center, but not the urban deathtrap of Tokyo, would be the best choice, and from what Mr. Johnson had said, the schools where respectable as well. So, with is first month's allowance in the account, he found himself speeding along the track, a few unfamiliar faces stopping to stare at his odd-colored hair before continuing.

On the journey, he kept himself distracted with a piece of literature. A Dance with Dragons. There was no book series who knew that was a bigger time-sink then the Song of Ice and Fire. He caught snippets of conversation as they went along, staring out the window in between chapters to catch the rural pleasures of the countryside, but most of the way, he just read, trying to keep himself from thinking too deeply.

He didn't know how long he'd spent on the train, though is hindquarters clearly told him at had been more then a hour. Everybody around him seemed so indifferent as he stepped out of the compartment, into the Chiba station. For a moment, he just stood their, looking out on the town that he'd be staying in from now on. It was... nice. Relatively built up, but not too crowded. Alot like Minneapolis, actually... well, if that city had a rather picturesque coast, which he saw as he walked down the sidewalks, the place strangly less full of people then he'd thought. Maybe he'd always just imagined Japan as this massive, urban megaplex, a Mega-Tokyo, if you will. Chiba, though, it had a way of being distinctly urban, but sort of out-of-the-way.

"I think I'm going to like it here," he affirmed to himself as he began a search for a home.

"I am terribly sorry, but the apartment has already been filled. Good day."

Drake watched blankly as the 10th door of the day closed in his face, stopping just short of his nose. He sighed annoyed as he started back down the stairs, jumping down the last few steps and landing on the pavement with some force, scuffing his shoes. He'd heard the rumors, how people around here weren't particularly fond of renting out rooms to westerners. Still, he hadn't expected EVERYWHERE to turn down his offer. Maybe it was the way he dressed, he reasoned, or the fact that he'd literally come to their door carrying a suitcase. Whatever it was, it didn't change the fact that he was feeling relatively down, face to the ground as he wandered his way into a different part of town, kicking up any gravel he passed.

After about an hour of this, he generally felt better, lightened by the gentle caress of the sun on his face and sweet-smelling breeze of Japanese spring. There didn't seem to be a lot of cars on this street, the buildings slightly bigger then the apartment complexes he'd been visiting earlier. Of course, the peace caused his mind to wander, and every time he saw a young girl pass by on the sidewalk, book bags or purses over their shoulders, either in chatty groups or alone and silent, he wondered **Could that be my sister? **That's what he was here for, after all...

Then, he saw something that made this the luckiest hour he'd had all day. Written across a sign in one of the small, well kept houses, a message was scrawled out in efficient, blocky kanja, a style Drake had to squint to really understand. Stopping in front of the house, he took a moment to translate the message. "Room for rent, inquire within." He spoke to himself, unsure of his skill. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind, before going over it again. Same words. He shifted his suitcase to the other arm, his muscles screaming from the hours of strain in carrying it. **Well,**he reasoned, starting up to the door. **It couldn't be worse than what's already happened. **Only half-feeling, his hand reached up and knocked on the hard wood, waiting patently with a straight back and serious eyes, trying to look professional as possible.

He stood that way for about half a minute. Until the door creaked open, revealing what appeared to be a rather peterved middle-school-aged girl, staring him down as though he'd committed some kind of murder.

"Greetings," Drake almost offered her his hand for a handshake, before fighting the habit and giving a semi-deep bow instead. "My name is Drake Deikmann, and I am here inquiring about the rental room. Your father doesn't happen to be home, by chance?" He gave her a friendly smile, but she was just as pissed as ever, the two having a staring contest.

"The room isn't open anymore. Go away." She sounded angry at him for some reason, he voice both domineering and whining at the same time. Then, she tried to do something he hadn't even expected; both her hands were placed on his chest as she tried to push him out, a surprising amount of force getting put on his relatively thin body. Yet, just before she put her full back into it, a massive hand appeared on her shoulder, Drake looking up to see a stern, stoney face looking out onto him, eyes running down as if doing an examination. "Kirino," was all he had to say, his voice commanding respect, like a king, before the girl tensed up, pulling her hands into her chest and looking up at the man. "We do not treat visitors in such a manner. Remember, you already on thin ice." She tried to resist as he pushed her back, visibly digging in her hells and angerly whimpering, but the massive frame of this man was just too much for her, as he stepped in and stared Drake down. "My daughter has treated you unjustly. Know she will be punished accordingly." He then simply stood their, not twitching, not blinking, arms crossed as if waiting for something, as Kirino sulked off around a corner, pouting.

It took a moment for him to recollect his composure, but this time Drake didn't even start to offer a handshake. "Greetings, Sir." He gave a very deep bow,which seemed to give a little bit of warmth to an otherwise cold set of eyes. "My name is Drake Deikmann, and I am here to inquire about the room you have for rent. May I come in?"

The man was silent for a moment, sight still running up and down Drake's body. In the end however, he shifted. "You may. We shall discuss this in the living room." With that, he took a few steps inside, Drake pausing to remove his shoes before entering the home, looking at the clean little kitchenete and den that had been set up, the man having settled himself into a chair in the far side of the den. As he walked in, Drake could smell the tell-tail sign of cooking curry, a lean and pale woman working away in the background.

"Thank you, Sir." Drake stood by a chair on the opposite side of the den, not willing to sit down. "I do apologize for any disturbance I may have caused." Unconsciously, Drake felt his knees lock, his back straight as a toothpick, staring into the imposing figure's intense face.

"You've done nothing wrong," the man placed his arms on the armrest, even sitting at attention. "My daughter has always been a willful one. All the leeway I have given her has turned her spoiled." he was almost talking to himself, as if blaming the issue on lack parenting. "In our further dealings, you will address me as Kosaka-san, understood?"

"Yes, Kosaka-san," Drake gave a light nod of the head. "Now, if I may, is the room still open for rent?"

"It is," Mr. Kosaka nodded. "We do have an extra half room we'd like to rent out. If I may inquire though, what business does one your age have living alone?" The tone was accusing, his fingers tight on the armrests.

Drake gulped a little at this, the truth almost reaching his tounge. **I'd sound like an idiot. **Yet, he couldn't lie, so, thoughts flying, he started to tell his tale.

"There is nowhere else for me to go, Kosaka-san," a little sadness crept into his voice, but he kept it strong. "My father has recently perished, and I would rather not act as a burden upon my remaining relatives. So, I have come to Japan to start my own life. It is a man's duty, you understand." He let the thoughts flow from his head, holding back the emotions he was feeling at the moment to just a slight trickle. "I don't want your pity, but I hope you'll respect my wishes to take responsibility for myself." Yet, as he spoke, he could see Mr. Kosaka's face soften a bit, just a bit, as if he understood.

At the end, he gave a curt nod, standing from his chair. "That is acceptable. I will take you in as tendent." At that moment, he gave a massive clap, which reverberated throughout the house. In the intervening moments, the women who had been cooking turned around, walking gracefully into the kitchen. Another two appeared, Kirino and another boy, about my age, though with neat black hair and somewhat better features. They all lined up before their family patriarch, standing silently. "Wife, children, this is Deikmann-san. He will be our tendent, starting now, and I expect all of you to treat him with the appropriate respect. Understood?"

"Of course, Father," the boy replied, his voice a bit flat, but with sharp eyes.

"Alright," Kirino sighed, looking more dejected then angry.

"Of course, dear," the women whipped her hands on her apron, bowing slightly.

"Good," Mr. Kosaka turned to Kirino, glaring her down. "Kirion, move your bookcase. This man will be making use of the other half of your room from now on."


	4. His Little Sister Can't Think That!

**Author Notes: Call the presses! Eliya Shirwood is Back!**

**So, just for that, I'd like to do extra-honor to this wonderful anime. It feels so good! And how better then by putting in the extra mile to get a Kirino chapter up? Anyway, this chapter contains genuine plot movement (hazza!) and things of that nature. Remember, reviews make everybody happy!**

**To answer my review questions:**

**GreenandBlue: All will be revealed later.**

**Eliya Shirwoods: I am such a fan... it is an honor**

**Yes, I will be using western-style for names. It's the way I've always known them, and to do it otherwise would be strange. However, I agree I need a beta reader. Thanks for the advice.**

**Chp III: His Little Sister Can't Think Little Sisters Are This Cute!**

He wasn't sure why, but Drake was almost sure Kirino already hated him.

She seemed to stomp every step they took up the stairs, sulking like... well, an angry middle school girl. Drake, on the other hand, tried to keep as proper a profile as he could, no longer standing stiff and straight, but still silent and composed. It seemed to have gotten him on Kosaka-san side; why mess up a good thing.

"I really appreciate your generosity," he tried to thank her, looking down at the way her lips scrunched, liberally applied lipstick shimmering slightly. "I understand this is going to be hard for you."

"Ya ya," she interrupted, snorting as she unfolded her arms, the hallway at the top of the stares merely one long path, with doors on either side. "The bathroom is the first door on the right. The first on the right in my perverted aniki's room... he doesn't do much." They continued walking, each step she took visibly forced. "And here we have MY room," she shifted open the door, revealing what appeared to be an ordinary girl's room; pink bed with throw-pillows, a full body mirror, a few posters I didn't recognize, and a small corner with a computer set up. All and all, nothing he couldn't understand. She went into the room first, Drake standing their politely, while she tapped her foot and stared. "Well, stupid boy, are you coming in?" She half demanded.

"Geeze," he mumbled in English under his breath, face looking a little ticked. "Let up on the anger a bit. It's not like I'm trying to kill you." He took a few steps into the chamber, walking around to examine it. Could Kosaka-san really have been serious about renting him half the room? This place was big enough for one person, but two would make it extremely crowded... and, to be honest, being crowded with an angry middle school girl wasn't something he was looking forward to. Kirino plopped herself on the bed while he explored, her knees swinging in her short-shorts, scowling to the ceiling. "Why do I have to be stuck with you? All I did was get a C on one stupid test..." she ignored her guest as he kept exploring, looking over the room critically.

"So where exactly am I going to..." then he noticed it, his sentence stopping as his eyes stopped on it. There ,behind the shadow of the bookshelf, was the tell-tale shape of a sliding, Japanese-style door. _It must have been remodeled to a western-style _he reasoned as he started to take down the books from the shelf, only to be greeted by a swift kick to the rear.

"Don't touch my stuff!" Kirino winced, sending Drake smashing into the bookshelf with the force she applied. " Get off it now."

Drake, of course, felt his torso get shoved into the wood, the blunt force causing his gut to coil slightly. However, the furry quickly subsided, and he was able to regain his footing and turn around, his face scrunched up as he tried not to yell. The dull ache on his back felt like it would be there for days. "A simple no would have worked," he instructed her, placing the book back in place. " It's just a book you know." He turned back to get a look at her face.

What he saw wasn't exactly what he'd expected. What he'd heard was rage... and he'd expected to see it. However, though her face was scrunched and teeth clenched, her eyes where wide with what looked like fear, starting to get a little moist. " You wouldn't understand," she growled, settling herself back onto the bed. "You just wouldn't."

"Alright," he felt a little bad being forceful now, twiddling his thumbs to keep his hands busy. "But... where exactly am I supposed to be staying? I mean, its not like I'm going to sleep on the floor."

Kirino's eyes dropped as she pulled up on the neckline of her blouse, brow curling as though she was deep in thought. "Alright, you can stay." She said finally, as if it was under her authority. "Just don't do anything ecchi alright? Or I'll scream!" Her voice was a little threatening, but she never looked Drake in the eyes, always staring down at that floral bedspreads.

He paused for a moment, waiting for her to continue. "I promise I won't," he stated simply and honestly, leaning back against the bookshelf, taking on a slightly more relaxed attitude now that she wasn't being so actively hostile. "But you still haven't answered my question. Your father said I was to sleep here; where am I going to sleep?" The last part of his sentence was more forceful, but still kind _Look at me... talking like a brother already_ he laughed a bit in his head as he watched her look around, as if for an escape, before opening her mouth and closing it again, bereft of an answer.

"Oh, why won't you just leave me alone!" She whined, pulling herself off the bed and moving over to the bookshelf, leaning back herself but at a much steeper angle. "You're not making it easy to tell you to go away." Drake smiled at how silly she sounded, only to be greeted with a slap to the face, which didn't even phase him. "What's so funny?" She demanded, looking right up into Drake's face, standing on her tippy toes to get a bit of a better position.

Drake felt the red mark glow on his cheek, warm, but it didn't really bother him. He just couldn't stop smiling. "Nothing..." he shrugged. "You're just a little funny right now, making such a big deal over nothing. He took a step back away from the shelf, right into the middle of the room."So, what exactly do you do for fun?"

Kirino seemed taken aback by the comment, immediately straightening out and the anger flushing from her system. "What exactly do you mean?" She was blushing and startled, shying a few steps away.

"You know, what kinds of hobbies do you have? Games you like to play? Anime you like to watch?" He tried to make small talk, looking perfectly normal as he did so

Each and every word seemed to bring a greater and greater redness to her cheeks, her fingers gripping tightly to the end of the bookcase. "Of course not," she stuttered somewhat unconvincingly. "What kind of idiot, hentia otaku enjoys things like that?" Drake looked at her with a mixture of confusion and concern as she appeared to be trying to hide herself behind the bookcase, body trembling with what might be a subdued fury.

"Um, no." he stated bluntly, helping himself to a spot on the bed. "I take you for a normal middle school girl. Back in America, its pretty normal for girls to go ga ga over the stuff." Gently, he picked a piece of lint from his pants and tossed it to the side, watching as Kirino pulled herself out a bit more.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" She asked warily, her eyes on edge, with just a hint more anger under the caution. "People who like that stuff are soulless perverts with no self-respect or future. How dare you try to play tricks on me like that." He saw one hand leave the side and clench into a fist, poise to fly in his direction should he come any closer.

However, this time he couldn't stop himself from just laughing out loud. "What are YOU talking about?" he asked after he caught his breath, Kirino mortified by the display. "Take me for example; I'm an anime and manga fan, and I play video games. A- average, left forward for the school soccer team, Netherlands for the mock United Nations, and with friends to boot. Does that sound like a soul-less, future-less kid to you?" He asked the question plainly, more of a statement then anything else, his laughter ending as he watched a tear start to well up Kirino's eye.

"Really?" she asked, taking a step forward, fist parting. "Does that really happen? You'd better not be messing with me or I swear," I could still hear the hardness there, the threat real, but she sounded more curious now, finally at a point where no part of her body was poised to kill him.

"Um, ya..." Drake was a bit confused by her reaction, looking with concern at her face. "Um... Kirino-san, you've got something in your eye." he pointed to the moistness there, as she set herself down in the bed next to him, looking straight into his face.

"Deikmann-san... let me show you where you'll be sleeping." She asked, looking up with an odd mix of pleading and commanding. For a moment, they just sat there, making him feel somewhat awkward. Her face was tight, eyes downcast, as if a great pressure was building up inside of her. At this point, he started to recognize a scent... orange-smelling perfume, sour and earthy. Then, he felt something, soft and warm wrapping itself around his ring finger, only to see her hand there, trembling as she looked into his face. " But..." she struggled, trying to meet his eyes with her own. "Are you really serious?" She looked so weak at that moment, so helpless, the situation half-begging to be misunderstood.

_This is what brothers do best... right? _ he thought, half-remembering the boy who really was her brother, sitting completely unawares just a room over. He gave her a comforting smile, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah," he said, trying to sound like this was something really big. What he managed to get back from it was a stiff lip, Kirion looking like she wanted to say something, but not. She stood up, turning her back to him and her orange hair swatting him in the face as she went over the bookshelf, and started taking the contents out one at a time. "Well, are you just going to sit there? Help be!" She insisted, the feeling of her weak grasp still tingling on his finger. Drake lifted himself off the bed, and started to assist, each level getting empties systemically of school books, old dolls, and light novels, the small pile rising up against the foot of her bed until the frame was finally bare.

"Well," he finally asked, after standing their for a moment. "Are you going to show me or not?"

Kirino took a deep breath at that point, letting it out in an exaggerated fashion, running a hand down her face. "Alright, just... I'm putting a lot of trust in you, alright?" She asked the question rhetorically as she started to push the bookshelf to the side, blocking the door. "This isn't something I've shown to anybody else before." Drake was starting to feel a little uncomfortable now, the way she was saying things, his face suddenly starting to grow a little hot.

"What?" He asked, voice getting a bit hurried as the bookshelf tapped against the wall, hiding the door from view.

"I just... I just can't keep it a secret anymore." she stood there, blocking his view of the room behind. "They can't know... Mother, Father, Aniki, my friends... I know I can't trust any of them. You, you..." she stopped, swinging her arms in unbridled rage. "You taking my room was the last straw. There's no way I could hide of all this if I had to move it out, so I might as well just tell you now." She seemed so emotional about what was going on. Dozens of scenario's swirled through Drake's head; drugs, porn stash, a shrine to a boy she liked... none of this was going to be easy.

Then, she stepped to reveal her dirty secret.

At that moment, the whole conversation started to click. Anime box sets, game boxes, character statuettes, posters and cartridges. It was a venerable treasure trove of Japanese media... scratch that, a treasure trove of Shojo media. The general theme seamed towards cute-faced girls, looking out with simple smiles, kiddy hair, and assorted flashy outfits. He just stood there, half dumbfounded, while Kirino shuddered, fists clenched and face beet red. "You hate me now, don't you?" She whispered, the embarrassment stuttering her voice.

"Hate you?" Drake looked over, head cocked and eyes wide. "You like anime and gaming... what's so wrong with that?" To be honest, Drake could remember a closet of one of his female friends looking a lot like this a few years back; though it had been more pretty boys then cute girls.

"I knew it..." she cursed to herself, tossing a strong punch in his direction. However, she opened her eyes just in time, pulling the blow back as she stared, almost in awe. "Wait... stop messing with me!" Her whine was really starting to get annoying.

"You still think I'm joking?" Drake responded, slightly bewildered at how long this had gone on. "For the fifth time, this really isn't a problem for me." _Well, besides the space issue. _There really wasn't going to be room for him to sleep in there AND keep all this material.

This time, Kirino fought the defensive urge, instead picking up one of the game containers that had been so carelessly left on the floor. "So, you're telling me that when you see this," She held it with both hands to his face, the cover art a young girl and snagglepuss teeth, clipped black hair parted into two pigtails and pinafore dress hidden behind a bundle of white flowers. "You're not disgusted. You think it looks good, right?" He could see her peeking out from behind the container, watching his eyes carefully.

"Well," Drake dragged out the word, trying to work through the feelings that where tussling for dominance in his mind. "It's good in its own kind of way. Cute, really." The sentence started out unsure, but ended on a very natural note, Kirino's eyes widening and lips shifting from a frown to a smile.

"You're so right!" she shouted giddily. "Little sisters are just the sweetest things in the world aren't they?" He could tell she was flying into a speech, the way the spark lit in her eyes and the muscles loosened on her face. " I mean, with their pretty hair, and so happy! Following you around like a fluffy kitten or puppy, always wanting to help you feel better? They don't judge you, or ever try to hurt you. You can just sit down and give them a great big hug!" She spun into her own little hug on herself, her voice rapid as she listed off their assorted virtues. _Wow... I never knew sisters where so wonderful_. He was enchanted by the massive change she seemed to have gone through, all that tension transformed into a cute, girly rant. " I just... can't get enough of them."

Just then, three knocks were heard at the door. "Hello?" the flat voice sounded. "Kirino, Deikmann-san, are alright in there?"

Kirino underwent a major shift again, tightening up as she turned to the door. "Leave me and the nice man alone, stupid Kyousuke!" She shouted with practiced anger. "I'm laying out the rules he'll have to follow if he's going to live in my room!"

"Alright, alright," he sounded indifferent, stepping away. "Just make sure to clean up when you're done alright? I don't want to be smelling that tomorrow." The sound of his footsteps fading away down the hall. The two meet their eyes once again, Kirino cradling her game.

"Well, I haven't played that type of game before." He admitted, picking up a few of the containers and reading them silently. Sister Maker 4, Sisocolypse, 12 Fallen Sisters,  Sister Bride... and, on at least half of them I noticed the universal symbol every boy comes to both love and fear; the 18+ badge, sitting their in black and white.

_What the... _that really through him for a loop, eyes opening wide and heart starting to beat fast. _Wait... they actually make this kind of stuff? I thought it was just a myth!_ BUt it couldn't be... it was right there in front of him.

Kirino, of course, was to distracted with a look of shock. "Never played them?" Her face dropped, almost sad. "Oh... so in America its a girl thing, right?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"Sort of," Drake grasped on the opportunity, still searching for a way to change the subject. "Guys tend to be more action oriented. Still," he shifted the topic, starting to move the assorted boxes from the half-room. "If I'm going to sleep here, we're going to have to move these things out. I don't want Kosaka-san to get the wrong idea about me."

As he continued moving though, he felt Kirino's light touch on his arm once again. "Promise me," she looked straight into his eyes, both serious and needy. "Promise you won't tell anybody."

Drake didn't even need a moment. Despite what he felt, this was obviously something important to her. "Alright, I promise." He lingered in her eyes for a moment, before starting to shift the larger statuettes out. "Now, come on, you and I have a lot of work to do."


	5. Chp4:My Little Sister Can't Be a Model!

**Author Notes: Wow... I diden't think this would be coming so easily. **

**Anyway, I'd like to thank everybody who's indulging me by reading this. You each get one free bro-fist. *bro-fist***

**Not quite sure if I've got the average rent right. **

**Chp. IV: My Little Sister Can't Be A Model!**

Drake ended up waking up on the floor.

Well, he supposed it wasn't strictly the floor. After he'd managed to move all of Kirino's "belongings" out of the way, she'd been considerate enough to go fetch him a Japanese sleeping mat, but in his opinion, isn't wasn't much of an improvement. He still had a terrible back ache as he stood up, trying to stretch out in a room not much bigger then a closest, throwing on a set of tan slacks and a black polo. He had a thing for polo's; they where considered respectable while still being comfortable enough to lounge in.

He nearly hit his head against the hanging lightbulb as he straightened his back. If this really had been half a room in the past, it wasn't so any longer; more the size of a walk-in closet. Still, it was his home now, and he was set on working with it.

"Kirino," He shouted out in the most polite way possible while pulling up his fly with one hand, knocking on the door with the other. "I'm coming out now. Are you dressed?"

He was met with a short "hu?" noise before the answer. "Ya, come in." She certainly didn't sound as angery as she did when he'd first met her, nor as excited as she had been when going over her "things", which where now scattered in hidden nooks around her half of the room and behind a rather loose floorboard in his own, until things could be sorted out. She almost sounded... how would he put it, friendly. Drake opened the door, stepping out into Kirino's room, the girl sitting on the bed, strapping on a pair of light blue, low-rise pumps. In fact, she looked ridiculously dolled up for a relaxing Sunday; she wore a light shade of pink, glittery lipstick, alongside a well-applied layer of makeup. For cloths, she had a high-neck shimmering sea-green blouse, complete with sequined trim, and a light blue skirt that hung about half a foot above her knees. No, she wasn't just too dressed up or a Sunday, she was too dressed up for any day of the week.

"What's the occasion?" he asked while passing through, trying not to look too hard. He kept his hands in his pockets, catching a hint of the perfume she'd worn last night. Though, to be honest, even a hint of such a strong smell was more then he was used to.

Kirino looked up from her shoes, finishing the process by touch. "This?" She asked, looking down at herself. "I wear this kind of stuff every weekend. A model always has to look her best, you know."

Drake looked up to her face, curious. "Oh, you're a model?" He asked, stopping in the doorway, one foot already in the hall.

"Ya," she straightened out the bottom of her skirt, standing up and posing a little, looking like she was going to jump into the air, arms outstretched. He had to admit, the way she managed to still keep her balance was rather impressive. "I'm doing a photo shoot in the park just after lunch. The new spring fashions are coming out." She kept in place, looking over as Kyousuke walked past, still a pair of gym shorts and a long white t-shirt, stopping for a moment to look in.

"Oh, Deikmann-san." He looked at Drake, only sparing his sister a passing glance. "Father would like to inform you that you're welcome to join us for breakfast. Just be certain to give him the proper greetings, alright?" He still didn't sound very interested as he walked past, leaving Drake to wonder if it was just a bad time, or if his voice was just legitimately that dull.

"Kyousuke is such a bore, isn't he." Kirino stepped to the door, complaining right after the door clicked shut. "He never does anything, just sits and works, sits and studies, sits and looks at porn. I'd recommend staying away from him."

Drake looked down at her, taking a closer look at her face before starting down the hallway, Kirino not far behind. It was a relatively silent walk as he straightened himself, letting his face fall into a relatively emotionless blank, taking the steps one at a time, as opposed to the three at a time he'd been used to at home. The smell of eggs and toast still hung in the air as he wandered down into the kitchenette, the dishes from an earlier breakfast still drying near the sink. Mr. Kosaka was noticeably absent; whatever his job was, it was also done on Saturdays, it seems, but the fact that he had been there was clear by a note, written in the same, boxy kanja he had seen on the sign yesterday.

_Deikmann-San_

_I trust this morning finds you healthy. Due to work demands, I will not be present to dictate the terms of our agreement, and so present them to your here._

_1. Your rent will be 35000 Yen a month. I expect the first and last month's payment in advance._

_2. This entitles you to use of your room, our restroom, our living area, and meals. You are not to enter any of our personal rooms unless invited, other then to pass through Kirino's to reach yours._

_3. You must continue attending school so long as you are a resident of this home_

_4. Grades lower then an A- will not be accepted_

_5. You will treat me and my family with all due respect._

_6. You are expected to contribute to the housework, when nessicery._

_Have either Kyousuke or Kirino prepare you breakfast. Any questions can be discussed this evening._

_Mr. Kosaka._

Drake read over the note twice, just to make sure he got everything. It was was a fairly reasonable price, he reasoned... though the spartan writing style made him somewhat worrisome. He could still recall the face, and knew it was somebody hard, no-nonsense; one mistake, and that would be it.

"My Father is strict, isn't he?" Drake was startled to see Kirio looking around his arm, reading the note alongside him. "That comes with being a police officer... and very high ranking police officer at that." Drake took a step to the side, so her shoulder was no long half an inch from his arm.

"Somebody's being a bit more friendly this morning." He set the note back down, settling himself into one of the chairs. "Last night I though you wanted to pop my head off."

Kirino giggled a bit at the comment, taking the chair across from him. "Silly Deikmann-san." She crossed her legs, tapping one foot as if waiting for something. "I was scared last night. But, after what you told me, I think we'll be getting along just fine." She looked suddenly impatient as she kept looking at him, patting the chair next to her. "Now you need to move over here." She ordered.

"Um, ok." Drake looked at her a little confused, but went along anyway. _She's got a reason_ he reasoned with himself as he settled himself in, getting a cheesy smile from her direction. "What was that about?" he asked her, laying his hands on the table.

"Because I want you to sit next to me," she stated simply, switching from a tapping of her feet to a slight kicking, Kyousuke wandering down the stairs with a rather large yawn. "Oh ya, and aniki sits there too." She added as an afterthought. "Kyousuke!" She yelled, sounding like a spoiled child. "Father said to make me and Deikmann-san breakfast! I want toast." This all sounded like it was a routine of some sort, Kyousuke sighing as he headed over to the kitchenette, pulling out the bread.

"You don't have to make such a fuss about it," he commented under his breath. Soon, the bread was in the toaster, an egg timer ticking away in the background as the three of them looked at each other over the table.

"So, what are you going to use today for, Deikmann-san." Kyousuke asked, his posture extremely relaxed.

Drake started to form the words in his mouth, but Kirino beat him to it. "Deikmann-san is going to come watch my photo shot." He felt her elbow touch his side; not a jab, just the simple act of her moving her arm down. "Something you've never done, by the way." She sounded angry... or was she gloating about him. If Kyousuke felt anything, though, he kept it well hidden behind, looking just a little sleepy.

"Alright," he accepted, handling the butter knife as he looked back at the timer. "Its your funeral." For a moment, Drake felt a little dread creep in, but put it down; he was a guest here, and if he was going to share a room with this girl... well, getting even more on her good side coulden't hurt. "I mean, some of the girls there a cute, but half the time is makeup and positioning."

That brough Drake's thoughts back to what he'd seen the night before. The rather... colorful titles he'd browsed. _It can't..._ the thought was only fleeting though, gone after a quick shiver. "I must admit though," Kyousuke continued. "I'm surprised Kirino haven't killed you yet. I'd be dead in a second if I even entered her room."

Kirino tensed up at that, face scowling. "Maybe if aniki was a more respectable, considerate, or interesting person, I'd treat him like Deikmann-san. He's a Mock United Nations rep, soccer player, good student, and still finds time to have fun! His interests are much broader than your stupid porn!" She finished her rant just as the timer rung, and the crispy brown toast popped out of the oven, steaming just slightly.

"Well, shall we eat?" Kyousuke seemed to shrug the whole thing off, dependable, at the very least, walking over to spread the butter over the surface of the food. "Now, eat it before it gets cold."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence, the siblings trying their best to not even look at one another. Or, at least, it looked as though Kirino was trying. For Kyousuke, it seemed like his nature, withdrawing into his food, or whatever was going on inside his head. He was like the stereotypical asian, while his sister... well, she was the exact opposite. Drake finished up the meal quickly, trying to get out of the way of the tension for a few more seconds by washing, drying, and putting away his plate. Thankfully, Kyousuke wasen't far behind, cleaning up and heading out the door without saying a word, off to parts unknown.

"Meet me in the park at noon," Kirino walked up and looked up into his eyes seriously before she stepped out the door, the glorious day spewing in. With that, she left Drake standing their, slightly off-balance, with his day apparently planned out.

So, having nothing else to do, he headed out himself, looking out on the city that was his new home.

* * *

"Here you go," the shopkeeper handed him a plastic card, after a small exchange of cash. "Here's your International calling card, enjoy."

Drake offered brief thanks before walking back out into the streets, surprised by how well-designed the shopping district was here. Back home, businesses sprouted up with no apparent meaning; another pizza joint when they already had 5 within a mile would sit next to a saloon and a coffee shop, and nobody would complain. Here, a lot more of the stores where just general, sort of like shopping a miniature Target. He'd stopped in to pick up an International calling card, so he could get in touch with Mr. Tass, if need be, but ended up leaving with a small bag of candies too... a little treat for himself. He flipped open his cell phone to check the time as he went along. 11:10... still fifty minutes left to burn.

Drake sighed, wondering what to do with his time. He hadn't made any friend's yet, so hanging out with them wasn't an option. His room wasn't big enough to do anything but sleep, and he really didn't have anything to do their anyways. His mind went over option after option, each getting dashed upon the rocks, until suddenly, he saw his answer across the street.

An arcade called out to him, one of the fabled hallmarks of Japanese cities. Compared to the dinky back rooms of Minneapolis, this one was absolutely huge, its sign glowing still in the daytime, telling all what fun could be had for a mere 50 yen. It was there that he settled his mind, taking the next cross walk and heading into the glowing building.

The number of options before him was stunning. Shooting games, fighting games, classical arcade and racing games. He even saw a few virtual-reality units, the action being played out on screen for onlookers to enjoy. For every gamer, their seemed to be at least onlooker, though most where crowded around a select few games, where the matchups looked tight. A duel racing game had two middle school boys neck in neck, in particular. Pulling a few notes out of his pocket, Drake fed them into a nearby change machine, looking around to decide which to try.

His eyes settled on one though... something he'd always been rather good at. The machine was larger then most of the others,glowing pink and blue, the lights flashing as a hard beat played. Currently, two high-school girls where trying it out, one a bit slow and the other fast, if rather clumsy, rocking out like they where having a wonderful time. Even the title, Mosh Mosh Pit, looked like it was exciting. Not so different from Dance Dance Revolution... and he was quite a master at that game.

"Who's up for next round?" He walked up to the gaggle surrounding the machine.

"Nobody yet," one of the guys, probably in his early college years, answered. "You want a go, gajin?"

"Of course," Drake answered, showing the 50 yen piece. The girls on the stage where starting to stumble at bit as the tempo picked up, lights almost strobes as the quality of their timing started to fall. Eventually, both of them hit the bottom and, sweating hard, they removed the game harnesses, laughing breathlessly as they stepped down.

"You're up," the boy gave Drake a push to the back, leading him up the stairs to the intimidating screen. The floor looked just like a Dance Dance Revolution pad, though the ambiance was more black, and there was a chest harness he had to strap into. It was a rather tight fit, but all in all he still felt pretty ready to deal with it. His opponent, another high-school aged boy with spiked black hair, gave him a competitive glare before the machine started.

"Let's get ready to MOSH" It started, before the beat started flooding out in surround sound, the opening screen shifting to show two dance, robotic figures, the arrows scrolling up. Drake just let his mind go empty, getting the tempo of the music, the rhythm turning into a ticking in his head just as the first arrow arrived, his foot landing at just the right moment.

The screen graced him with a gold and white "perfect", but the match was only just beginning. Keeping the rhythm in the back of his mind, he started to actively focus, watching the lights dance across the screen and the floor in between arrows. At first, he wasn't quite in the zone, his score total moving up much less quickly then he would have liked, especially compared to his opponent, who seemed more practiced. However, as he slowly started to pick up the song's patterns, he noticed he was getting more perfects and near perfects, his face stern as he made every motion. His opponent, however, seemed equally focused, and as the minutes went on Drake was closing the gap only slightly.

Such a tight competitions seemed to be drawing a crowd though. A small stream of people started to trickle in as the dance reached its 4th minute, the tempo picking up to an expert pace. Drake could feel his legs working, moving in fancy formations like he'd been practicing for soccer since middle school. In fact, both of them seemed to be in the zone, landing nearly all the moves perfectly, keeping their time meters well up in the healthy range. Soon, he started to lose track of time, his mind caught in the lights and sounds, the dull roar of the crowd mixed with bets and laughter. After awhile, though his opponent started to tire, steps growing more sloppy, sinking from near perfect to good or fair. Slowly, surely, Drake's score was catching up, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. At this point, even people from outside the store where glancing inside or staring from the entrance for a few moments, the movement almost hypnotic. Drake even felt like he'd hypnotized himself, flying off both his legs at once at times, supported only be the harness.

Finally, it happened. His opponent just went loose, taking one last gasp and half drowning in sweat, he stopped, his score pausing. Drake held on for a few minutes more, stopping only after the general cheering had died down enough to snap him out of his stupor. He was breathing heavily, and his legs ached like he'd just played a full game of soccer, only always on the offensive. However, he wasn't sweating nearly as much as his opponent, and could still support himself, while the other boy was leaning on the shoulder of a friend.

_I guess all that DDM really payed off_ he thought as he was greeting and congratulations from some of the other arcade goers, his score getting registered as 5th best on the machine. He typed in DRAKE, and following the slaps on the back on his way down, generally felt a sense of accomplishment... only to look up at the clock, and see it was 11:50

He'd been dancing for forty minutes straight, and he was still a mile to go to the park.

Almost as quickly as he'd entered, Drake jogged for the door, making the best of what his weary muscles would give him. He got within a few inches of knocking over a small child as he moved, breathing slowly recovering from the dance. Still, outside the mosh pit, he could still somewhat smell his own sweat... _gross_. He let he city pass by in a blur, stopping only when he needed to, not daring to glance at his cell phone. _I'm going to make it_ he tried to encourage himself, picking up the pace ever so slightly as he saw the park in front of him, the green strangely out of place in this otherwise somewhat built-up portion of town. As he drew closer, he could make out the lights and staff of he camera crew, the last minute preparations still taking place. And, with just about a minute to spar, Drake arrived, leaning back into one of the lightposts and breathing heavily.

He stood their for a few moments, composing himself. However, it wasn't long before he saw Kirino walk out from behind a corner, chatting expressively with another girl about her age... probably another model by the looks of it. She stood just a bit shorter then Kirino, her frame slightly slimmer and feminine. Her hair was arranged in a similar style, though the bangs where straighter and her hair was a natural black, rather then Kirino's orange. Her face wasn't quite as expressive, locked for the moment in what looked like a slight smile, listening to whatever it was Kirino was talking about.

It took a moment for Kirino to notice him, but when she did, she waved at him, arm happily in the air. She almost looked as happy as she'd been during last night's rant. Trying to be a bit more subdued, he waved back slightly, straightening himself up and walking forward.

"Hey there Deikmann-san!" she greeted as the got closer. She turned over to the other girl, waving an arm as if displaying him for her. "Ayase, this is boy I was telling you about, the one who's renting out our room." The girl looked over at him, her smile growing just a little bigger as she moved from detail to detail, though being extremely subtle about it. For a moment, Drake felt extremely self conscious, smelling his own sweat, but she diden't appear to mind. "Deikmann-sami..." she tried the name on for size, seeming to like the way it slid off her tounge. "Pardon me, but you didn't happen to be the gaijin who was doing so well in the Mosh Mosh pit earlier, where you?" She asked innocently.

Drake felt his eyes grow a bit wider. "Yes..." he answered, a little concerned. "How did you know that?"

"I walked by on my way here," he swore he could hear her giggle a little. "I must say, you where quite impressive... but I forget myself." She made her own bow, the pink sundress and leggings she was wearing somewhat transparent in the light. "My name is Ayase Aragaki. It's an honor to meet you."

_Ayase __**Aragaki**_... He froze in place for a moment, looking at the cute smile on her face.

_No... way. _


	6. My Little Sister Can't Be This Easy!

**Author Notes: Can't stop. This story calls to me, forbiding me sleep until I update even more! Why must my inspiration be so cruel!**

**Also, if anybody can recommend a good beta reader, I'd love to hear from you. I can't seem to figure out the system.**

**And so...**

**Chp. V: My Little Sister Can't Be This Easy To Find!**

_This can't be happening_

He must have looked like such an idiot right now, staring at a young girl when she'd only just introduced herself. However, he was just so... shocked.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Aragaki-san." He offered his hand for a handshake in his distracted state, only to pull it back a moment later and give the proper bow. "So, you will be shooting with Kosaka-san?" He was trying as best he could not to sound flustered, keeping the words as proper as possible, but he could't quite hide the surprise in his eyes, avoiding Ayase's eyes.

"Oh, Deikmann-san," Kirino teased him, brushing a stray hair from her face. "Ayase, I invited Deikmann-san to watch me today. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," she responded politly, looking over to spot one of the camera crew waving them over. "Oh, Kirino," she tugged slightly on her friend's shoulder. "I think its time to start." Kirino was quick to follower her , though Ayase looked back after a few steps. "It was nice meeting you, Deikmann-sami." She shouted as Kirino took the lead, half dragging her along.

_Kirino sure is forceful_ he concluded as he watched them go off, only to realize he was getting a few odd looks from passers by. _Well, I am a young man who's going to watch middle schooler's pose_, he looked about a bit self-consciously before seeing Kirino talking to one of the directors, Ayase already being steered towards her position next to one of the park bench. The director looked a bit confused and concerned when Kirino spoke, looking over at Drake suspiciously, but eventually gave her a response, Kirino running back to grab him by the sleeve.

"The director says you should sit here," she lead him over to a spare staff chair, one of the fold-out lawn types, placed near the shade of one of the big trees. She gave him a huge smile as she literally skipped off, kicking her feet up behind her. To be honest, Drake felt even less confident sitting on then set then he did standing off of it, but I kept his outer demeanor relaxed, drumming his fingers as he distracted himself with the sights.

Before this, he'd never really thought much about modeling. All he knew was it involved a bunch of anorexic girls posing suggestively in swimsuits... or something like that. He was actually amazed by the amount of people involved; three guys alone seemed totally dedicated to positioning the portal lamps, adjusting the angle slightly with movements in the clouds. Cameras where positioned at half a dozen different angles, their operators all staying in sync with the others. If he didn't know better, he would have assumed, with all this activity and noise, they where setting up for a movie scene.

Kyousuke had the right of it, though; it had to have been at least 10 minutes before he saw the first tell-tale flash of a camera going off. Kirino and Ayase where posing as though they where laughing at some funny joke, leaning back slightly in their cloths as they sat on the park bench, the lights positioned just right so as the get the full shade of both their lipsticks. That same one had to have been done twenty times, the director yelling out to move their arms a little bit, or tip their face somewhere each time. He tried to watch intently, keeping his face looking interested, but he was already starting to slouch in his chair by the end of the second pose, his mind wandering off to somewhere else.

He thought back to the picture he'd seen earlier, of his father's lover. The way she carried herself, the shade of her hair, the smoothness of her face; he could clearly see the similarities between that face and Ayase's. He thought about how different Kirino was acting, how she could be so laid-back and childish at one moment and demanding in another. He thought back to the rush he'd gotten from the Mosh Pit, what his friend's back home where up to, his schedule for his new school. His ideas just floated freely, without any real structure, still passively watching as the girls went from position to position. First, they where running down the pathways playfully, Kirino in an orange running shirt and Ayase sporting a pink skirt with two thin layers. Then, they had Kirino sitting on the back of a moped with one of the male models, her low-cut black shirt and short-shorts complimenting his lightweight jacket and scuffed pants rather well. Ayase got a solo shot next, sprawling out on the grace for a bird's-eye shot, looking like she was watching the clouds in a more western plaid skirt and white, pocketed blouse. As he watched, Drake found himself smiling a little. Modeling was so much more... tasteful then he'd thought it would be.

This went on for a few hours, rolling through about twenty shots, only winding down as the horizon started to grow a little orange, the restaurants across the street starting to light up as the earlier eaters floated in for dinner. "Alright, I think that's everything." The director shuffled through a list of papers as he walked into the center of the action, waving down the rest of the cameras. "You can all go home for the night." Almost immediately, the staff complied, all the equipment getting packed away in its cases, the models moving back into their trailers to return to their normal cloths and lives. Drake even found himself getting involved, returning his chair to one of the laborers, sitting on a park bench just a few feet off, waiting for the two girls to change.

Eventually, after what seemed like forever, Kirino finally popped her head out, still continuing what looked like a rather light-hearted conversation with Ayase. "Kirino," Ayase came out looking slightly less enjoyable. "that's not funny."

"It is to me!" She was laughing as the two power walked over to the bench, Drake distracting himself by altering a few things on his cell phone. "Hey, Deikman-san!" She shouted in his ear, causing him to jump a little in his seat, startled, suddenly changing Ayase's stern look to a humored smile. "So, what did you think?" She moved in front of him, cracking her neck.

"Actually," he admitted, standing up. "That was actually quite enjoyable. I thought the walking shot really suited you." He turned over to Ayase, who was still keeping a polite distance. "And Aragaki-san looked really cute in that uniform shot. White compliments you." He realized he must have sounded like a total dork in his comment, but Ayase seemed to be having the opposite reaction, pulling her arms closer to herself.

"Thank you Deikmann-san," she responded, sounding slightly on edge. "That was nice to hear." Kirino gave her a sly grin and a knowing look, causing her to blush slightly as she turned to her. "Oh, shut up Kirino!" She demanded.

"Alright," Kirino's voice not very serious as she drew back, stepping closer to he friend. "Well, me and Deikmann-san need to be going. You know how Father is." She sounded a tad disappointed, her eyes bubbling with something she wanted to say.

Ayase, though, seemed somewhat releaved. "Alright. Goodbye, Kirino." The two of them shared a small, girlish hug before Kirino started to run off, looking back with a challenge on her face. "Come on, race you to the house!" She took off at top speed, her form amazing. _She has to run track._

He was just about to follower her, but that small voice came up behind him friendly but firm. "Deikmann-san... may I have word?"

He stopped himself mid-turn, stepping back so he was in front of Aayse, trying not to imagine the greeting he'd given him earlier today, so... sisterly. "Of course," he responded politely. "What do you need?"

She turned her face down for a minute when their eyes met, looking like she was struggling to say something. "I just need to know something." _Oh, she just wants some advice. _ He breathed a mental sigh of relief, though he couldn't help but think the struggling seriousness gripping her was just adorable. "Its just, Kirino just kept going on and on about you today, and, I was wondering." She seemed like awed by that simple fact. "How did you do it?" She let the relief wash over her face as she finally said it.

Drake only met that with a raise of an eyebrow, glancing back to still see Kirino running around like any other immature girl. "Do what?"

Ayase looked a little shocked by that comment. "Kirino hasn't said anything positive about men since grade school." She played around with the handle of her purse. "Her classmates, her teachers, her brother... she took every chance she could to insult them. Then, there's you." She paused for a second. "You sound like quite an interesting person, from all the things she said about you. How are you different?" She was looking up into his eyes with undue trust, something you don't give to somebody you only met a few hours ago.

Drake thought back to the way Kirino acted when he'd first come, and at breakfast that morning; belittling, hostile, defensive; was that really the way she was? "Well," he reminded himself of his promise, although without the truth suddenly found himself devoid of a reason. "I guess I'm just a really nice guy." He rubbed the back of his neck humbly. Ayase, though, suddenly looked very serious and threatening, eyes trying to pry the secret from his eyes. She kept up with it for a minute, Drake never giving any ground and in fact staring back, until it suddenly turned back into a smile, eyes closing as she tilted her head.

"Alright, Deikmann-sami. I believe you." She sounded so endearing, looking back into his face. "I'm not quite sure why," she continued, the cheer slowly falling from her voice and replaced by something more contemplative. "But, there's just something about you that makes me think Kirino will be safe around you. Well, goodbye." She gave a farewell bow before starting down the streets in a different direction, leaving Drake standing their, a lost for words.

_Well,_ he turned around once he finally found some, the thoughts troubling his brain. _Kirino is going to beat me home._

* * *

He'd never sat at a more quiet dinner table in his life.

Mr. Kosaka was a looming presence, even while sitting, the utter seriousness of his face making it seem as though anybody who spoke would be met with a strong fist. Though, despite the tension he felt, Drake diden't see any of the others acting the same way, accepting this simple part of the routine. He looked back down at the beef bowl sitting in front of him, hardly touched and hearty smelling, Kyousuke's chewing the closest thing to conversation.

"Your photo shoot was today, Kirino." Mr. Kosaka broke the silence with more of a statement then a question.

"It was," she had calmed down noticeably from earlier, though she still sounded pretty happy... despite the fact that Drake was still nursing the pinch mark on his arm from when she'd complained about him not racing her. "Everything went great. Deikmann-san was there too." The ideal comment brough upon him 's powerful stare, like a rock being pressed to his face.

"Was he now?" that voice sounded slightly threatening even when it wasn't meant to be, and Drake was starting to dread it's presence.

"Your daughter politely requested my presence, Kosaka-san." he sounded as nonchalant as he could, delaying his explanation with a large bite from his meal. It actually was pretty good, the juices dripping onto his tounge as he bit. "I must say, she is quite talented. You must be proud."

He saw a slight crack in 's resolve, a twitch of his chin, before the man pulled it back. "She may continue modeling so long as he schoolwork does not suffer." He stated simply, copying Drake's tactic. Kyousuke took on a slight smile at this, and for the rest of the meal, the silence was much more peaceful.

* * *

"So," Kirino asked as he followed her into their room, throwing herself on the bed. "What did you think?"

"About dinner?" Drake embraced the idle conversation, opening the door to his own little piece. "Delicious, actually. Your mother is quite the cook."

"Not that, stupid," She kicked in the air as she reached beneath her mattress, pulling out one of her doujin. "About the game I left for you to play."

That caught Drake's attention, drawing him back into the main room. "Wait, what?"

"So you didn't use my laptop this morning?" She lifted up the pink tablet from her bedside table. "I left it out just so you could try this great new visual novel. Summer House of Sisters," she started up the machine, the little music playing just above silence. "I mean, what sort of guy just leaves a good computer unattended when he's all alone." She gave him a curious look. "You're a really strange boy, Deikmann-san." She mused as she flipped open the program, the title screen showing a rather ordinary-looking male protagonist standing in front of a small country home, with seven sweet, young girls sitting between his arms, all cuddling sweetly. "Now, your mission is to complete at least two tracks in this game by Wensday, understood?" She shoved the laptop into his hands before going back to her doujin, running one finger down a page.

Drake took the machine out of surprise, but after looking at the title screen, then at her, then back, he thought he understood. "Oh, you want to talk about it, don't you?" He figured, piecing the facts together. "None of your friends are interested in this kind of stuff."

That drew a rather... depressed look from Kirino. "Nobody I can associate with does," she sighed sadly. "Now, you'd better get started, chop chop." She clapped to his twice, sort of like an English lady requesting tea, before going back to her book.

_Really? _Drake thought to himself as he set the computer on his lap, pressing the new game button on the title screen. It fall out like the pieces of a puzzle, showing a black surface which was slowly rebuilt to look sort of like the front of a school building. It had a pretty catchy soundtrack too, something like a mix between a children's television theme and the good kind of country music. The perspective was looking out from the entrance, a little girl running up to the camera (the protagonist, probably). She had an adorable face, her hair black, straight, and managed, with just the slightest hint of blush, dressed in a sailor suit-style school uniform. _She looks, familiar._

"Congratulations, Oni-chan!" She cheered delight, clapping her hands in front of him. "How was the graduation ceremony?" Her eyes grew curious, eyes huge and blue.

_Oh sweet, _ he smiled, waiting for the options to come up. _She looks just like Ayase._ And, she really did look like a good little sister...


	7. Her Older Brother Can't Be On To Her!

**Author Notes: Nothing shall stop my relentless march to fandom *insane laughter*... except dinner with visiting family. **

**Chp. VI: Her Older Brother Can't Be On To Her!**

"Deikmann-san."

Drake heard the word behind him as he was walking out the front doors of the Chiba high school... or "upper secondary school" as he'd been corrected more then once. It wasn't as though anybody was yelling for him, or angry at him. It sounded more like a statement, the voice who did it very simple. Stepping out of the cluster of other 2nd year students, Drake turned around to see somebody he knew leaning against one of the pillars, book bag slung over one shoulder.

"Deikmann-san," Kyousuke said again, taking a few steps over. "How was your first day of classes?"

It took Drake a moment to understand what was going on, taking his own book bag from his hands and putting on in a similar way. "Oh, Kyousuke-san." After talking in usual Japanese style all day, it sounded kind of awkward to refer to Kyousuke by his first name. But, then again, if he had Kyousuke and Mr. Kosaka would be using the same name. "What are you doing here?"

Kyousuke's expression didn't change in the least as he started walking away, Drake following just behind. "I had school today as well," he stated matter of factly, Drake a little flustered at missing such an obvious fact. "But that doesn't answer my question."

The sounds of other students meeting up, gossiping and chatting started to fade as they walked away, just the two of them. "It was nice, I suppose," he shrugged, kicking a small rock off the sidewalk. "My home room teacher is Mr. Mori... he brought you up during my introduction." It was just ideal small talk, but Drake slowly felt himself winding down from the social stresses of the day, shoulders loosening and finally being able to slouch a bit. "I discovered there's one subject I won't have to be working on too hard though."

"English," Kyousuke filled in for him, the noise of the school lost beneath the rhythmic clapping of their feet on concrete.

"Um, yes." Drake sounded a little impressed as they continued. "Still, it was kind of fun learning the system all over again. Sort of like I was back in elementry school." Drake looked to the side, waiting for Kyousuke to respond, but he never did, staring forward in thoughtful silence.

The next few minutes, he didn't really feel like talking, taking a look at the scenery instead. The route from the high school back to the Kosaka house was actually quite nice, when one looked. A number of stored kept small flower baskets, bright and sweet-smelling in the early summer air. There where some trees along the way too, standing in the small islands of grass. If only it hasn't been so cloudy, it would have been the perfect time to stop, grab some coffee, and just sit.

It was cloudy, though, and getting ever so slowly darker, the light cover from this morning having turned into a deep grey, looking ready to burst. Yet, just as Drake started to look concerned, Kyousuke stepped in to fill the gap. "So," he finally spoke, turning his head so the two could look eye to eye. "Are you thinking about joining any of the clubs?"

"I would love to, but..." Drake started, a little disappointment slipping into his voice before he stopped. Bring up thoughts of last night made him yawn a little bit, how he'd been sitting in front of that computer screen into the early hours of the morning and wasn't even close to finishing te game she'd requested... no, ordered him to play. "I just want to get an idea of how much time I have first." he explained, being vague as possible.

"Understandable," Kyousuke shifted his book bag, turning to the sky. "Hm, looks like rain." Nothing he said betrayed even the slightest bit of what he was thinking... though that wasn't a far cry from the way Kirino had described him.

The walk felt like it was going on forever with the silence that followed, broken only by the sound of passing cars and their feet. Slowly, surely, they made their way back to the residential district, with only a very light drizzle falling on them. "Hmmm," Drake hummed to fill the empty air, smoothing out his stubble. "So," he tried to come up with something else to say, but his mind was drawing a blank.

"I'm surprised," Kyousuke said, the first bit of real emotion he'd heard creeping into his voice.

"About what?" It was Drake who sounded unconcerned this time, rubbing an eye as the lack of sleep started to catch up with him.

"Kirino... she talks to you."" He thought aloud, walking as though they weren't even having a conversation.

"Yes?" Drake answered, clearly not understanding.

"The girl I know doesn't talk to guys." Kyousuke stopped, waiting for the cross walk. "Even when she does acknowledge me, its only to insult or belittle me." He actually sounded a little mad, gripping the handle of the book bag tighter. "She doesn't go around talking nice or sitting next to me, and she certainly wouldn't be caught dead with me anywhere outside the house." As they crossed the street, it finally got to his eyes, growing wide. But, a moment later, he managed to reign himself in. "I suppose the question is," he turned at looked Drake straight in the eye. "Why can't my little sister be that cute?"

_"Isn't this great Itoki-kun?" the girl from the title screen was sitting next to him in the front seat of a car, kicking her feet excitedly. "A whole two months at Grandpa's summer cabin; just the three of us!"_

"Um..." Drake had let himself fall about a step back, and decided to stay there. The scene from last night's game had come unbidden. "Aren't little sisters supposed to be cute?" He questioned. "I mean, I'd always just assumed."

"Kirino isn't an ordinary sister." Kyousuke admitted the door the house, slipping off his outdoor shoes and slipping on a pair of white slippers. "She won't tell me anything about her or her friends. Heck, I didn't even know she was a model until father talked about it at dinner last night. I just..." he sighed. "Is it too much to ask for a regular sister, so I can have a regular life?"

Drake felt a bit awkward putting on the slippers, the fuzzy insides tickling him even through his socks. However, he continued to follow Kyousuke, who set himself down on the living room sofa. " You know what? This is a waste of time." He went back to a blank face, flipping on the TV.

"I'm sorry?" Drake felt guilty, but wasen't quite sure what to say. Still, Kyousuke didn't seem to want to give him any attention, flipping on the news. Drake lingered for about ten seconds longer, but eventually turned back up towards his room, trying to dismiss the whole thing.

_"Thank you, Oni-Chan" the protagonist's sister, Tsukiko, said between sobs as he cleaned up her knees. Tsukiko had just fallen off while trying to ride a horse, and was sitting in his lap "I'm so happy you're here for me."_

Drake was lying back on his sleeping mat, upper body propped up against the wall while he rested the laptop on his knees, playing through the game. While he'd had his reservations at first, particularly after he'd seen the "mature" games Kirino could have given him, he was actually finding Summer House of Sisters to be quite heartwarming. It was a pretty simple concept; a brother and his younger sister where going to spend the summer with their grandpa, who needed a bit of help on his farm, but the characters and setting actually had quite a bit of depth to them. Tsukiko, for instance, always tried to act refined and freindly, but ended up being swept away by her emotions, especially when somebody else was feeling sad. Indeed, he would have to say the last few hours had been hours well spent.

_"Um, Oni-chan," Tsukiko looked up, still tearing in her eyes. "Would you kiss it to make me feel better?"_

Sure enough, the options appeared, one of the normal two branch paths that showed up every few minutes. Option 1: _Kiss it_, though, was the obvious choice.

_Itoki leaned in, the picture showing his face close to the scrape, but Tsukiko's hand touching his cheek, pulling up his chin. "Not there, silly." She pursed her own lips, the two meeting. "Here."_

It was at that moment that he heard a crash downstairs, heart jumping in surprise. Quickly, he pressed the save button, not leaving a moment between the confirmation jingle and his setting the machine back on Kirino's bed, hustling down the stairs in time to see Kyousuke and Kirino both kneeling on the floor in the kitchen, Kirino slapping away her brother's hand, face red and tight.

"Don't touch it!" She shouted, Kyousuke flinching back before going stern. Without a word,Kirino stood up, taking the fallen basket in her hands and slipping on her shoes. She walked out the door, leaving her brother to stare seriously at the back of the door, only to look away when the sound of Drake taking the last step caught his attention.

He didn't have to say anything for Drake to feel uneasy, raising his hands defensivly. "I apologize," he said calmly before backing up the stares, Kyousuke keeping him in sight until he rounded the corner, pulling himself back into the semi-darkness of his room. He did spare the computer one glance. _Actually, _he thought as he quickly turned away. _I think I've played enough for tonight. _

The clouds had broken up by dinner, the yellow-orange of the sunset mixing up with the natural light of the kitchen as they all sat eating. Ms. Kosoka had prepared beef-and-rice that evening, though the way she did it caused it to taste alot different then yesterday, more spicy. The general mood seemed a bit more spiced as well, Drake actually feeling comfortable enough to eat in peace. There was some chit-chat about the weather, and a test Kirino had taken that day, but generally speaking things were kept quiet enough so the television in the background could be heard, having recently been flipped from some cop drama to the evening news.

_"In other news, the member of the Mikadono Group met today to discuss potential regents for executive power with the a further decline in the condition of the head, Kumagorou Mika, who is currently loosing a battle with liver cancer."_

"One of my friends was telling me all about this anime he's into," Kyousuke interrupted the story. "It's something for girls... Stardust something." He sounded like he was just making conversation.

"Why do you mention it?" Ms. Kosoka and Kirino stopped eating, listening intently, though Drake and Mr. Kosaka continued, seemingly uninterested.

Kyousuke's face lit up a bit, both happy and a little embarrassed. "Well, he said it was interesting. I though maybe I'd watch some of it."

"Wouldn't that make him an otaku?" she sounded questioning, though more humorous then hostile. "Right?" She turned over to her husband, who'd been calmly eating his food.

"That's right," he agreed, his spoon dipped in for another bite. "I won't be having my son following something so harmful."

Kyousuke didn't seem to mind the rejection, merely rolling his shoulders. "Kay." Kirino, though, had her arm shaking on the spoon, face unnaturally focused on her glass. Drake wanted to say something, but didn't, trying to catch more about the story on the television.

_I've heard that name before,_ he pondered as he took a sip from his water. _Somewhere._ Ms. Kosaka, though, seemed to notice. "What's wrong Kirino?" She asked, concern.

Those words seemed to set her off, and Kirino pushed herself out of her chair, though still staring at the same spot on the table. "Thank you for the meal." She spoke hurriedly, spacewalking her dishes to the sink before taking leave to her room.

After that, nobody really talked.

* * *

Tonight was a good night for homework.

Drake had always done pretty well in school... well, except in mathematics. It was a little harder now that he was trying to do it Japanese, but the experience came relatively easily, especially since Kirino was being rather quiet. He would have expected her to be chatting away with her friends like any normal teenage girl, but for some reason she hasn't even come to bother him that evening. "She must just be a little off," he mumbled to himself as he breezed through his translation assignment, the scratch of pen on paper rather pleasant. Despite te issue at dinner, this place was actually starting to feel a little like a home, the space more cozy then compressive.

A moment later, though, the peace was shattered by Kirino, who flung open the door, breathing heavily. "Have you seen it?" She asked, sound scared.

Drake looked up from his paper. "Seen what?" He set the pen and notebook to the side, though still laying down.

"My game!" She stepped in, looking frantically through all of Drake's things. "It was in an anime box, Stardust Witch Meruru. I was going to move it somewhere safe earlier today until... he head shot up from the pile of Drake's cloths, something primal. "No, it can't..." She left as quickly as she entered, Drake seeing her listen to the far wall through he open door. "Why did that stupid pervert have to find it? He already steals my computer enough..." She sounded rushed, though steadily less alarmed and more furious.

"Kyousuke went to the store, remember?" Drake told her, trying to calm her down. "I mean, he literally announced it to the whole house."

Kirino took in a deep breath as she heard this, steeling herself. "Don't go anywhere," she ordered Drake before peeking out the window. "Good, he's all the way down the block." She started to creep out into the hallway. Drake picked up his work again as she left, and for a number of minutes he was free to finish up the assignments, setting down the complete pile with a triumphant sigh and pulling out A Dance With Dragons once again, returning the dust jacket and sinking into his pillow, thumbing through the pages to reach the spot he'd last stopped, his legs not moving an inch.

A few minutes later, Kirino returned, looking slightly releaved by still agitated. "He doesn't have it either," she sighed as she plopped back down on her bed. "And that was a first edition too, with a bonus track and five special locations." She folded her arms over her chest and pouted, looking at him through the doorway. "Well, all least he doesn't have it. If he used that for..." she gave a disgusted look. "I'd have to throw it away. Do you know how much that cost?"

His eyes wandered back to the computer for a moment, the power light still pulsing on her bed, considering he'd never turned it off. "Not really," he answered, closing the book once again and starting to re-fold his cloths. "But you're a model. You must make tons of money."

"That isn't the point!" She punched into her bed. "It was out of print, I had to search seven websites to even find one copy."

The tension was getting high, so Drake tried to change the topic. "How was school today?" He picked the most cliche thing he could think of, hoping to at least get a laugh out of it.

Kirino, though, actually seemed to calm down, smile turning wicked. "Oh, it was pretty interesting." He could tell she had something she was dying to say, the way she spun her hair. "Actually, you reminded me of something really funny that happened."

"Hmm?" Drake said, interested. "What was that?"

"Well," Kirino tried her best to sound mockly reluctant. "I really shouldn't say, but..." she giggled a bit, eyes glinting. "Ayase was just asking about you. She sounded VERY interested."

"Really?" Drake stuttered a bit with the answer, nervous. _She's got to be kidding_, he tried to reason, only to see Ayase's face again, looking so cute as she said she trusted him. Of course, Kirino noticed, and started to laugh.

"Oh, she did." Kirino seemed to enjoy the gossip. "She must have a thing for Americans, hu?" Drake still found it so amazing how she was capable of changing from a panic attack to being able to gossip about her friends in such a short time. "By the way," She propped herself up on her elbows. "What do you think about her?"

Drake had anticipated the question, though, and looked confident as he gave the answer. "Well, she's pretty cute." He stated honestly.

"Pretty cute," Kirino repeated, trying to get his tone right. "Alright, I'll be sure to tell her that." That brought surprise to Drake's face, Kirino getting even more of a smile as she watched it form. "Oh, don't be so embarrassed. Without all her make-up, she'd be able to pull off the cute little sister look nicely. Which reminds me," She leaned forward on the bed, looking at him intently. "What do you think of Summer House of Sisters?"

To that, Drake just had to adopt her previous laughter. "It's pretty good," he said. "I mean, I graphics are good, everybody has a background story, the voice actors are fairly decent. I'm only down one track, but I'd have to say things are pretty believable too."

"Which track?" Kirino looked on with intense interest, demanding every detail.

"Tsukiko's." Drake responded similarly, the images from that scene returning to his head. _"Come on Oni-Chan, I want to try riding!" __  
_

"Oh, that's the best one!" Kirino started kicking her feet in the air as she went off. "Isn't she just the cutest? She just wants to try everything! Milking, Riding, Playing tennis... and when she gets scared during that storm and does that thing on your chest? That's so precious!"

"Woho!" Drake held up his hand, signaling her to stop. "I don't want... any spoilers."

"Then you should play now!" Kirino stood up, quickly rushing the laptop over to the closet and dropping it in his lap. "Now, you play, and I'll watch." Drake felt her presence next to his shoulder, feeling self-conscious as he started up the save file, the kiss still staring him in the face.

"Oh! This scene!" Kirino clung to his shoulder as she leaned in for a closer look. "Doesn't this just feel so right?"

He didn't dare say anything allowed.

_No... _

**Afternotes: Yes, I mixed things up a bit. Don't worry; Kyousuke will learn in due time...**


	8. His Little Sister Can't Be This Clever!

**Author Notes: No Comments At This Time**

**Chp. VII: His Little Sister Can't Be This Clever!**

Though class had already been let out over ten minutes ago , Kirino's classroom was still buzzing with activity. Kirino had just walked into, for once dressed in a normal uniform, smiling as she ideally messed around with her cellphone. All around her, everybody was wrapped up in their own thing; some were trying to get a good start on the homework they'd been given , a few of the boys were clustered around a laptop, but most of them where just chatting with their friends, not really paying attention to her.

Of course, the peace didn't last. Just as she was flipping open the Akiba news page, she felt someone quickly wrapping their arms around her shoulders, her eyes going wide and finger flipping her phone off. The girl in question was a tiny thing, pale-skinned with her hair neatly tied up in a pair of pigtails, cute in her own mischievous sort of way, as the sharpness of eyes could tell you. " What is it, Kirino?" She asked curiously, placing her head near Kirino's shoulder as Kirino drew her phone to her chest. "Talking to your boyfriend?" Her voice hadn't sounded like it'd gone through puberty yet, still high and slightly whiney.

"No, Kanako," Kirino looked down at her freind, pulling her arms out to rest it on her friend's small shoulders. " I was just checking on my work schedule." The way she leaned in on Kanako bought her a few strange looks, but she seemed to accept it readily enough.

"Ahh, the big-time model must be busy," she responded, sweeping her arm in a mockingly refined gesture. " Not enough time for us little people."

The conversation was interrupted by another voice, approaching from her right. "But you don't have work today, do you?" Ayase innocently pointed out, walking up to join them.

Kirino pulled back just a little at this, mentally cursing herself for getting caught in that trap. "No..." she said, sounding a little ashamed, only to get a happy smile from her friend.

"Well then, we should go somewhere." Ayase suggested, Kirino happy to get off the previous subject.

"I really can't," Kanako leaned onto Kirino's desk, looking at her friends with a pitiful expression. "I recently bought some new shoes, so to be frank, I'm flat broke. That is," her eyes narrowed a bit, "Unless one of you is willing to treat me."

"Kanako," Ayase stood firm, hands going to her hips. "You've really got to stop mooching off us. If you're so short on money, why don't you just get a job?"

"A job, me?" She stood up, looking somewhat confused. "I'm not exactly built to show up in the good fashion magiznes," she ran her hands down her stick-like sides to help make the point. "Anyways, its not like you're tight on money.

"_No way!"_ Kirino caught one of the boy's around the compter exclaiming, glancing over her shoulder to look at them. _"Is that really the hidden character in Siscily?"_ She tried to get a closer look at the screen, eyes widening, before she was brough back by a slap in the back from Kanako. "Oh, whatever," Kanako laughed, Kirno trying to look like she was enjoying herself too, though the smile was somewhat forced. "Let's head home."

Ayase lead the group as the started to leave, Kanako hanging off Kirino's shoulder like she had a limp. "Otaku are so annoying." She stated grumpily as she glared over at the boys. Though she tried not to show it, that struck something in Kirino's heart, causing her to slow down just slightly, staring at the back of her friend's head.

"Hmmm?" she heard after a few moments, Kanako staring up at her downturned face. "What's with the frowny face all of a sudden?"

Kirino blushed as she realized she'd let herself slip into visable sadness, changing into something a little more akin to panic. "It's just," she tried to answer, he mind rushing for any option, eyes darting from side to side, catching Ayase's head turning around, looking concerned. "Ayase!" She latched on the opportunity, breaking out of Kanako's hold and rushing up to her less-intrusive friend. "Remember how you were talking about Deikmann-sami yesterday?" She used Ayase's honorific of choice to catch her attention, the girl's facing turning to meet hers.

"Um, yes," she kept her voice normal, though the way her eyes lit up revealed what she was thinking.

"Well, I just thought you should know something." Kirino turned back, seeing Kanako catch up, sly face having lost any sign of curiosity in her earlier reaction, hungering for gossip. "I was just getting more of his opinion on the photo shoot, and he said something very interesting."

"Come on, spit it out!" Kanako demanded as they walked through the halls, getting a few stern looks from the teachers and the disiplinary comittee.

"Well, he said he thought you were really cute," she finally let out, Ayase blushing and readjusting her book bag, face shifting into a nice smile. "And," Kirino leaned in to her ears, whispering. "He said he wanted to see you again really soon." Ayase's startled happiness faded into something a little more calm, Kanako trying to pull herself up to listen as Kirino laughed a bit.

"I'd like to see him again too," she sighed nicely. "I might sound just a little crazy, but I have this weird feeling... like I know he's a good person."

"You've got a crush on a gaijin!" Kanako teased her, moving from Kirino's arm to Ayase's. "I'll bet you want to see him all alone and..."

"Ddon't say that, Kanako!" Ayase pulled her hand away, stuttering slightly. "I woulden't think anything so lewd." Quickly, she turned back to Kirino, who was just watching the situation, entertained. "Isen't it time for track practice Kirino?"

Kirino looked up at the clock, face getting a rushed look. "Oh right!" She playfully slapped herself lightly in the face. "We've got to get down." And with that, the girls took off, running faster then they ever would on the field.

* * *

The final bell had also rung at the upper secondary school, the mass of students each breaking off to their individual homes or club activities. Drake wandered out of the front gate with the rest of them, taking a breath of the fresh, warm air after being in a stuffy classroom all day. Despite the fact that he didn't have anything in particular to do, he still walked with a slight spring.

_Today actually went pretty well,_ he congratulated himself as he split from the main cluster. Compared the awkwardness of the first day, today had actually been fantastic; he actually knew a few people's names now, and had established himself as at least competent academically. It wasn't the situation he was used to, granted, but that would come in time.

Of course, he'd hardly noticed Kyousuke slipping next to him, somebody else following at his heels. "Hey," Kyousuke started the conversation, letting out a quiet yawn.

Drake caught a glimpse of the girl behind him. He wouldn't exactly call her ugly... it was more like she was just too normal. A few steps back into the crowd, and he probably wouldn't have even been able to pick her out, save for the pair of glasses snuggly set around her face. "You must be Deikmann-san", the girl said, her voice sounding like the stereotypical Japanese girl. "Kyousuke-chan has mentioned you. My name is Manami Tamura." She gave a very small smile, though Kyousuke's long stride soon blocked their line of sight.

"I told you, Manami-san," Kyousuke sounded slightly annoyed. "You really should address me by my surname. I don't want people getting the wrong idea." As he took the lead, Manami slowly came back into Drake's vision, sulking a bit. "Anyways, how was you day?" He turned to face Drake.

"Actually, it went good," Drake followed as Kyousuke steered the course, leading them right out the school gate. "The second year is actually quite nice once you get to know them." The three looked almost like a family as they went along, Manami inching ever closer to Kyousuke as they walked.

"Deikmann-san," she asked, sounding like she was making herself such a burden. "Are you enjoying your stay here in Japan?"

Drake took a moment to think about that, eyes following a group of first-year boys run past, having a race of some sort. "I'm having a great time," he stated with absolute honesty. "I mean, I haven't had a boring day since I got here."

"But it can't be anything compared to America." She countered, almost self-deprecating.

Drake smiled at her. "Tamura-san, I'm from MinnesOOOOOta." He quipped. "I'm just glad to get out of the snow." She laughed a bit at the joke, and for a moment he thought he could even see the edges of Kyousuke's lips raise a bit. "Kyousuke-san never mentioned having a girlfriend. How are things going between you too?"

Kyousuke literally slapped himself in the face, letting his palm slide down before looking back at Drake. "Why does everybody always assume we're going out?" He asked himself under his breath, Manami inching back as he fell back into silence, embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Drake tried to salvage the situation. "I just assumed,"

"Heads up!" He heard from his left.

He turned just in time to see something black and white flying towards his face, only a few feet away. Kyousuke and Manami watched was he raised up his elbow, as if to protect himself, only to see him bounce the object up and onto his head, butting the soccer ball back over the fence, where a middle school boy reached up and caught it.

"Thanks, Sempi!" he called out, before throwing it back into the game.

"Wait... how did we get here?" Manami questioned, looking over the field.

Sure enough, the group was standing on the sidewalk in front of the middle school, the ball having flown out from the teams soccer club _Football here,_ Drake reminded himself. "I was jut following Kyousuke-san," he answered, looking up at the elder boy. "Did we make a wrong turn somewhere?"

"No," Kyousuke answered, walking alone through the main gate. "I knew we were coming here." Manami followed after him, leaving Drake standing alone, watching the game going on in front of him. His foot itched to join in... it had been over a week since he'd last played. Still, he held himself back, content to simply watch his favorite sport unfold.

"Kyou... Kosaka-chan," Manami held back her prefered response as she followed Kyousuke farther into the middle school yard. "What are we doing here?"

Kyousuke keep on walking, not even making eye contact with her as he continued. "Manami-san, I want to ask you for some advice. If there's somebody I wanted to be comfortable talking to me, what would I do to make that happen?"

"Oh," she focused her eyes, going into thought. "Well, I suppose if you want somebody to be interested in you, you should take an interest in them first." She answered, Kyousuke smiling.

"You always give good advice," he complimented her, and she curled up like a puppy getting patted on the head, glad with with the compliment. "I'm worried about my sister, Manami-san. She's under a lot of stress, and..." he paused midsentance, turning the corner of the building, the track coming into view. "I don't want her to get herself in trouble. I want her to be able to talk to me."

Manami nodded, though she looked a bit concerned. "Alright, I understand." She was just happy to stand next to him. "As long as you're happy."

They didn't talk any more after that, Kyousuke leading them to the front row on the bleachers next to the track, alongside the athlete's friends and the odd over-concerned parent. They found themselves watching at the girls lined themselves up for a practice run, stretching in place as the couch pulled out his stopwatch. "Alright, this is 400 meter dash. Ready," he raised a starting pistol into the air, the girls settling themselves into a starting position, either leaning forward or setting themselves up like they had a starting block. After a few tense moment, his finger clicked, and the sound of the shot sent the track team shooting forward.

* * *

The score was 3-2, the ball locked up in a constant side-exchange in the center of the field. One of the boys in the a blue jersey had just stolen control of the ball again, only to have it knocked out from under him by a clever shot. Drake was still standing in the same spot he had been for the past few minutes, the constant action keeping his attention hostage. He was only broke from the spell when a sudden bang fell on his ear, causing him to jump a bit and look in that direction.

_Must be the track team, _he reasoned, before realizing he had no idea where Kyousuke and Manami were. "Bloody fist," he swore as he walked up to the front door, brow furrowing. _How on earth do I get home from here? _ He asked himself, worrying.

"Wait," he said to himself, stopping to chuckle at his own stupidity. "Kirino runs track after school, doesn't she? I'll just wait until she's done and follow her home." He turned the corner towards the track feild, actually continuing his mirth as he imagined how Kirino would take it.

_"Oh, what a nice surprise..."_

_"Am I that irresistible?"_

_"Oni-chan! I'm so glad you came!"_

Drake shook the last thought out of his head, the image of Kirino poking fun at his mistake replaced by another scene from Summer House, when the protagonist was helping his sister do her hair for the summer dance recital. _Geeze, I've got to get some more sleep_ he though to himself. _I think my mind's trying to make up for delayed dreams. _He turned to the corner towards the track, just quick enough to see the mass of white shirts and track suits turn the corner, arms pumping. He jogged a bit himself as he went to find a spot on the bleachers, spotting Kyousuke and Manami and sitting down next to them, getting two momentary looks before their attention was focused back on the race.

Nobody cheered as the runners passed the two hundred meter mark, each visibly putting in a great deal of effort. Kirino had dressed herself in a baggy white t-shirt with orange trim and black short-shorts, keeping a steady pace as she looked forward, not letting the slightest bit of weakness slip onto her face. Ayase and Kanako where a lot farther back in the group, running about in the middle and both sporting navy blue school track suits, though Konako was clearly struggling to keep up, her stride far too long for her size. Drake found the relative silence a little awkward, but didn't do anything himself, the runners probably too far away to hear it anyways.

Hardly twenty seconds later, though, and they were rounding the final corner, the earlier steady pack starting to quickly change, everybody trying to put on just a little more speed. The excitement was getting higher, Drake's eyes flipping between Kirino, and Ayase with rapid speed, feeling something well up inside his chest. "Ayase, Kirino, you can do it!" He finally yelled up, releasing the pressure but getting a few odd looks from the students around him, still, he didn't why back, and watched as both the girl's eyes turn towards him, though Kirino's quickly shifted to Kyousuke and turned into something that could have been either disgust or surprise. Ayase, though, seemed to straighten up a bit, legs loosening as she took one position, then another, half a step in front of Kirino by the time they both crossed the finish line.

"WHAT was that?" Kyousuke looked at him blankly.

Drake, the excitement dying down, looked a little sheepish. "I got excited," his voice still sounded fully confident, though. "I mean, it's a race, isn't it?"

"Don't be so down Kyousuke-chan," Manami smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're like the stereotypical Japanese man reacting to a textbook passionate American." Kyousuke couldn't keep looking the same way after that, the three all smiling at the mutually insulting joke. The girls caught their breath on the track, Kirino looking first at him, then Ayase with surprise, Konoko still finding the energy to come up with that implying smile and getting a shove in the shoulders as a response.

"Alright girls, five more reps!" the coach herded them back to the starting line, writing down each of their times. "And I expect each of you to keep making at least the time of your first lap." Half a minute later, the gun sounded, and the whole process started again.

After the initial excitement, Drake kept himself from another outburst, though he still made sure to keep his eye on both of the girls as they came by. Granted, he could think of better ways to spend this time, but it was still nice to just sit back, relax, and do something brainless. The practice lasted for about another hour, Manami slipping away about halfway through. Kyousuke stayed, though, despite the fact that he didn't really look all that interested either. When if finally ended, the coach waved the girls off, most of them breaking off into little clusters and heading back to the locker room. Kirino, Ayase, and Kanako, though, walked over to the two young men, each covered in a thin sheen of sweat but still looking well.

"What are you doing here?" Kirino stared angrily into Kyousuke's face, tapping her foot.

"Is it such a problem for a guy to want to walk his little sister home?" He responded, sounding a little hostile himself.

"Now you're just embarrassing me, stupid!" She groaned, the atmosphere starting to get tense.

"Excuse me Kirino-chan," Ayase interrupted, calmly diffusing the escalating argument. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Kirino rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. "Alright," she resigned. "Ayase, Konoko, this is my boring older brother Kyousuke. You'll probably end up forgetting him anyway."

"This is what I get for taking an interest?" Kyousuke sighed, causing Kirino to get even more annoyed, her fingers lightly coiling into a fist. Drake, though, took control of the situation, standing up and pushing her hand down.

"At least appreciate the gesture, Kirino." He calmly instructed her, feeling her grow less tense.

Kirino didn't respond, just folded her arms and turned away, sticking her nose in the air as if not wanting to admit she was wrong . Still, somebody saved the moment from an akward silence. "Deikmann-sami," Ayase addressed Drake. "Did you come to watch Kirino too?"

"Sort of," he reached for an itch on the back of his head, trying to downplay the fact that he was , in a way, admitting his mistake. "I really didn't mind staying though. You both ran pretty well."

"Thank you," she responded, taking in a nice, long breath. "I'm glad you where here to cheer me along. The track team doesn't ordinarily get many fans."

"Oh Ayase," Konoko rolled her eyes, butting into the conversation. "Stop being so shy."

Kirino turned back around, face calming down as if she remembered something important. "That reminds me," she stepped in as well, though not sharing Konoko's mischievous look. "Have you asked her yet, Deikmann-san?"

"Ask me what?" Ayase spoke before he could, sounding a little flustered.

"Oh, you diden't say?" Kirino asked Drake, sounding surprised. "I diden't think you'd take so long. I guess I'll just have to do it for you." She spun her wrist, sounding as if she was doing him a favor. "Ayase, Deikmann-san wanted to know if you wanted to spend some time with him on Saturday. Like a date."

Both of their eyes widened at the comment, Ayase looking down at herself self-consciously while Drake looked over at Kirino, confused. When he saw the slightly pleading look in her eyes though, mixed in with just the right amount of anger. It was like she was screaming _You need to do this. _

"Deikmann-sami... is that true?" Ayase stuttered, blushing and shaking. "Kirino isn't lying to me, is she?" Drake found himself trapped in a corner; if he said no, not only would he be pissing off the girl he had to spend half his time with, _but I'd also be making my little sister cry. What kind of horrible brother does that? _At the very least, the games had taught him THAT much.

Instead, he gave a soft smile, nodding. "It's true," he told her with confidence, watching her face light up, the frightened shaking fading to a more excited one. "I really feel as if I should spend some time to get to know you better. It's just something I should do."

"I, I don't know what to say." Ayase glancing back at Kirino, still disbelieving, never quite looking Drake in the eye. "That'd be nice, I suppose... if that's what you want." She stepped away, though still smiling. "I'll talk to you later, Deikmann-sami," she ran off towards the locker room, clinging tightly to her shoulders, as Konoko followed behind, giggling.

"Well," Kyousuke stood up after all of it was over, straightening out his pants. "I'll just leave you too alone." Almost immediately, he was gone, rounding the corner as Drake looked at Kirion, the smugly happy look on her face somewhat confusing.

"What was that for?" He demanded, sweeping his hands out.

Kirino just tossed her hair back into place, smiling sweetly. "THAT was for bringing him along," she sounded sure, taking a few rushed steps away, turning around in time to stick out her tounge and pull her eye at him. "Oh, and I'm also going to make you owe me a boyfriend." She quickly took off, waving back at him. "You'd better remember to race me this time!" she yelled as she rounded sped off, the situation having given her a new energy.

Drake took off, trying his best to catch up. _That slippery devil... _he thought as he ran. _What is going on in her head?_


	9. His Little Sister Can't Be This Contrary

**Author Notes: Alright, I just remembered that this series has a massive, multi-month gap in the middle of it where Kirino isen't even home. Going to have to work with that...**

**Sorry for the delay. I had three false starts.**

**Chp. VIII: His Little Sister Can't Be This Contradictory!  
**

"So," Kirino took the computer from his hands, attaching it to the charger. "What do you think of it now."

It had been evening before Drake had seen Kirino today. Despite the fact that, in reality, he really didn't have much reason he worry , he felt he was in a somewhat difficult spot, looking down at an obsessive girl, apprehensive to hear his opinion on what amounted to the strangest video game he'd ever played.

"The Karuna track was pretty well written," he began slowly, settling himself onto her bed. "The artwork wasn't exactly what I'd expected, but the pace seemed to be the most realistic." Silently, he thanked the fact that he'd read a few gaming magazines in his time, watching Kirino's expression slowly shift with his critique. "Though, I'm not quite sure were rival fits in. I mean, is it even possible to lose to him?" Kirino looked surprised at this, yanking the computer back to her and flipping it open.

"Really? Azura didn't even out-play you once?" She stared intently at the screen, flipping open her internet connection. "I had to reload at least three times to get past him... you're good."

"It really isn't that hard," he told her plainly, watching as she typed in the URL. " I mean, if you pay attention during the first few events its pretty clear she'll only get the confidence to confess if she gets support from her friends." He thought back to the hours he'd spent on that track... feeling both the annoyance and the light, rewarding warmth that he'd managed to get through it.

"That's what that meant?" She questioned as she opened up the page. "I thought she was just a little shy... " she scrolled down the page intently, Drake trying in vain to keep his translating up to pace. "What do you know, you're right." She slapped him in the shoulder. "Stop acting smarter than me."

Drake pulled back his arm. "What was that for?" He demanded, waiting for Kirino to answer.

Instead, she just squinted at him, as if focusing in on his eyes. "And the Tsukiko track," she asked intently. "How did you like the end of the Tsukiko track?"

Instantly, Drake's face grew blank. He'd been dreading this question the whole night, scratching an itch on his nose to buy him some time. "I kinda..." he forced himself to admit, looking down. "Well, I really didn't end up finishing that track."

Kirino's eyes grew wide as she looked at him, taking another whack at his arm. "How could you not!" She whined. "That's the best part of the whole game!" Her fingers zoomed across the mouse pad, minimizing the internet connection and opening up the game. "Finish it now." she commanded, slamming the computer into his lap. "I don't care if it takes all night."

"But," he tried to protest, only to see the intensity in her look, finger pointed sternly to the load button. He sighed loudly, but did what he was told, watching as the game returned to where he left off, Itoki lying awake in bed, a thunderstorm beating away in the background. In fact, it came with quite a convincing sound bit, though at this volume it was only a low rumble. He really didn't want to click the continue key, but as he felt Kirino's weight come down on his body, resting her elbows on his shoulders so she could look down from above his head, he found himself doing so anyways.

_A knock sounded at the door, Itoki sitting up in his bed. "Oni-chan..." a voice whimpered from outside, "I'm scared."_

_Itoki slid himself out from underneath the covers, topless with a loose pair of black sweat pants as he walked over to the door. Just as he opened it, a flash of lightning lit the location up, revealing Tsukiko standing their, hands gripped in front of her, in a long pair of loose, baby blue pajamas. "I... I can't sleep." she sounded pretty startled, walking up slowly to him. _Drake took a deep breath here, glancing over his shoulder to see Kirino looking on with anticipation. _"It's just so scary and... I can stay here, right?" _The options seemed to fade onto the screen.

_1. Let her sleep with you._

_2. Send her back to bed_

_3. Send her to Grandpa instead._

The part of Drake's mind that had been playing these games knew what the right answer was. His eyes focused in on option one, Kirino breathing a little heavier as he did. But, another part of his mind just wouldn't LET his fingers move the cursor there, as if he were hitting some sort of invisible wall.

"Well," Kirino said impatiently. "Are you going to do it or not."

At that moment, he managed to push through the resistance, rewarded with a comforting smile from Tsukiko and a slight rubbing of his head by Kirino's chin, as she leaned in closer.

_"Thank you..." Tuskiko followed Itoki to get the bed, waiting for the protagonist to get in before curling herself up next to him, head rest against his chest as she sofly cooed. "This is nice." she sounds a tad sleepy as she closes her eyes, Itoki gently running a hand through her hair as she loosens up. "Oni-chan is so nice." She seemed to have faded into sleep. _Kirino seemed like she as on the edge of her seat, fingers clenching, breath growing shallower. _A few seconds later, the picture changed one more time, showing Tsukiko softly sucking on her brother's nipple underneath the covers, like a nursing child._

_"I want to stay here... forever," she mumbled in her sleep, Ikoki smiling..._

Then, almost instantly, Drake flipped it to the pause screen, rubbing his eyes as Kirino slowly pulled back from her enraptured state, "Awe!" She whispered as she came down, eyes bright. "Now are you glad you're finishing this?" She asked, as if she was already right.

Drake's face looked mildly intrigued as he looked up, though inside he felt slightly more disturbed. _Is that... normal? Do siblings really do that? _he thought to himself as he tried to work together an answer. "It was... interesting." He finally said, Kirino having put herself back into a more normal sitting position, the two looking a pair both in white t-shirts and black shorts. "I mean, it wasn't what I was expecting, but it was nice in its own way." Kirino nodded at this, though she was still extremely excited.

"But there's still more!" She unpaused the game herself, reaching rudely around him for the mouse pad. "There's still the swimming scene, the dinner scene... and the final artwork is just to die for! You've got to keep playing!"

Drake paused for a moment, curious as he looked back at her.

"Kirino, can I ask you something?"

"Well," she crossed her legs, smiling. "I guess I can give you some advice."

"I was just wondering," he shifted the computer over a little. "Is this the way siblings are supposed to act? I mean," he turned off the pause screen, revealing the artwork. "Like this?"

For a second, he thought he saw something on Kirino's face... was she depressed? But, as it was gone just a moment later, it could have been a trick of the light. "That's how they SHOULD act," she answered, huffing. "If I ran the world, all little sisters would be like this. And older brothers would be strong and thoughtful and sweet and responsable..." she shook her head angry. "That'd be the perfect sibling relationship... like in Sister's Keeper, her face lit up once again, finally making eye contact with Drake again. "You should play that next!" she insisted. "Then My Precious Step-Sister, maybe World's Best Brother..." He hadn't seen her this excited since their first night, her hands gripping onto his shoulders like vices. "You have to play them all! I'll have to make sure to pick them up on Saturday."

"Wait," Drake interrupted her. "Saturday?"

"Of course!" she continued, pulling back and playing with her hair. "There's three new games being released tomorrow, and they're only taking in-store purchases! If I don't get one now, I won't get the special-edition levels and soundtrack!" She sounded frightened at the prospect, though she slowly grew more conceated. "But I'd already promised Ayase I'd take her out, so I figured..." she looked at him,smiling a victors smile."

"Of course," Drake gave a somewhat forced smile, though he had to respect her cleverness. "Well, I guess I can cover for you."

"Guess?" She glared a bit, but still kept that silly smile. "Is my best friend not good enough for you? I thought you said she was.." a low, rough sound came as she cleared her throat. "Pretty cute." She tried to mimic his voice, but ended up sounding unnaturally deep, leading both of them to chuckle at it.

"It's not that," Drake tried to explain, laying back on the bed, looking at the back of his hand. "Its just... well, I'm not so sure dating her would be the right thing to do." He slowly turned his hand above him, kind of enjoying the way it seemed to move in the light.

He felt the bed jump as Kirion fell back as well, resting her head in her arms. "I wouldn't worry," she leaned back, sounding just a little thoughtful. "I mean, if she likes you, and you like her." She stopped, yawning. She stared at him intently for a few moments, Drake just curving his fingers, before he got pushed out of the bed, thumping to the floor from the force of Kirino's arm.

He pulled himself up , a little sore on his back from the landing, watching as Kirino pulled herself under the sheets. "Good night," he told her before going to flip off the light switch.

"Good night," she responded, wrapping herself in a sheet cocoon.

Drake slowly faded back into conciousness, his body heavy from sleep. "Bathroom," he mumbled to himself after noticing the pressure in his bladder, quietly lifting himself up from his position, cracking the stiffness from his back. Slowly, gently, he shifted the door open, stepping out into the dark expanses of Kirino's room, lit only by stray light trough the window, betraying the city behind. He crept along, feeling his way over the rough wooden bookshelf and lumpy plaster walls, careful not to make any sound, lest she awake in a panic and bash his head in. He reached for the knob on the door, slowly turning it, the room quiet enough to hear the inner mechanisms working. However, just as he was about to step into the hall, he heard something.

"Aniki..." Kirino mumbled in her sleep, tired but happy. He glanced back at her, the only part of her visible the glint of the light off her painted nail, yellow and orage zig zags. "Where are you?" Drake smiled silently as he stepped out. _She must be having a dream_.

He walked out into the hallway, the passage pitch black as he tried to work his way to the bathroom by memory. _It's just the far end of the hall, right? _he thought to himself as he worked his way along, the old wooden floors creaking just slightly as he did. He was about halfway down the hall when, unbidden, he found himself bumping into something tall and hard.

"Kirino?" The source of the sound squinted, trying to make out what he was. "Oh, Deikmann-san." Drake recognized the voice as Kyousuke's.

"Kyousuke-san," he responded, sidestepping. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"No problem," Drake couldn't see more than a vague shadow as Kyousuke passed, the little interruption not keeping Drake from getting to relief. However, underneath the steps, he heard that soft sound again.

"Closer, I want you closer," Kirino's voice just reached his ear, quiet as a whisper. However, what he noticed more was that the second set of footfalls had stopped, Kyousuke's shadow stopping in front of Kirino's door. "Please, closer."

Drake dismissed the issue, shutting the door behind him and going about his business. When he finished though, he noticed Kyousuke stepping into Kirino's room, slowly down his pacing as he wondered.

"Are you ok Kirino?" he heard Kyousuke whisper as he came closer, peeking out from behind the door frame.

"You're here..." she sounded so content as she shifted just a bit in her sleep, her whole hand and part of her hair visible now. "I'm happy."

"Really?" Kyousuke sounded extremely questioning, leaning closer but not daring to touch her.

Kirino made a noise a bit like a popping bubble. "I love you. I love you.. I..." the last word faded out into soft snoring, Kyousuke standing up,the moonlight revealing the smile that plastered his face.

Drake passed him as he went through the doorway, the two looking in each other's directions for a brief moment. "Don't worry about her," he informed him. "Kirino's just dreaming about some mystery knows?" Drake swore he could see the humor on his face, even in darkness of the hallway.

Of course, tired as he was, Drake didn't give the idea much thought as he lay himself back down, head sinking into the pillow as he slowly drifted back to sleep. Still, just before he couldn't remember anything else, he swore he heard Kirino say one more thing.

"Come back aniki..."

* * *

The next few days passed relatively uneventfully, as his first school week winded down to a close. Drake's life in the household slowly grew into a steady routine; wake up, eat breakfast, help with the dishes, go to school, do homework, complete Kirino's "assignment" (she currently had him playing some fighting game calles Siscaly.) maybe catch some of the news, eat dinner, then finish his homework before spending about 3 hours of what would usually be sleep time talking with Kirino. It was during that later time that he found himself now, sitting cross-legged on the floor as Kirino kicked at the air on her bed, an X-box controller in her hand as she gritted her teeth at the Sisaly round she was playing.

A moment later, she smashed the controller down in anger, the plastic bouncing off her bed safely. "GRAHH!" She groaned, tossing it down again. "What's with this stupid game?"

Drake looked up from his Japanese history assignment, watching as the ending graphic of Kirino's character falling back faded away into a new round. He would have said something, but he could see the spine of the headphones wrapping around her head, the ends tucked beneath her hair, so it would have been an excercise in futility. Instead, he set aside the paper and pen to observe, watching the fast-passed motions of both her fingers and the figures on the screen, tentacles and energy balls flying. However, the same result occurred in this game as the last; once her opponent sent all her tendrils flying, Kirino was dead meat.

Her reaction this time was also the same, the controller taking quite a beating as kept on throwing it. Drake, however, couldn't help but speaking this time. "Maybe you should try a different character," he advised, going back to his work.

Kirino seemed to have heard him, looking critically at her screen. "Maybe I should," she accepted, shifting over to character selection. "But who?" She flipped through all the different little sister; schoolgirls and magical girls and warrior women, each different then the last but all with the same general figure, and all cute. She held her breath as she keep scrolling, trying to figure out which one until she had to gasp in air. "Wait..." she stopped, looking where she had randomly stopped. "That's perfect!" the battle started up to show the same opponent, but this time Kirno was controlling a shrine maiden, complete with talismans and robes.

_Suzriki, _Drake recognized her from his own games, watching as the conflict continued. _Her ordinary attacks are the best, and her health is sub par, if she can last long enough... _he saw the Special Attack gauge rise in the corner as Kirino tapped along, blocking and dodging as much as possible, leaning and twisting as if she were her character. Drake's hand kept going along his assignment, but his attention grew increasingly more divided as the gauge continued to build, eventually growing full with a great, golden glow, at which point Kirino reached back to press the move's button triumphantly.

_"Help me Oni-chan!" she shrunk back on the screen as a light grew from the tip of her finger, ripping a great gash in the arena where a great, sword-bearing spirt rose up, standing guardant over her before launching huge swipe, sending her opponent flying down for the first time all night. "That's what you get for messing with my sister," the spirit spoke as the two victory posed together. _

Kirino shot up in her bed with joy, pumping a fist. "Yes!" she whispered to herself, looking down at the screen. "Thank you anaki!"

Drake quickly went back to his assignment, writing away as Kirino shifted to the next battle. Again and again, she reigned victorious, most of the time by way of her special move, until she'd gotten through seven matches in a row, her record having shot up multiple points. When she was done, she surprised Drake by leaning down in front of him, looking quite bubbly. "You know what they need?" She asked rhetorically. "They need to make a sequel to this game about older brothers! Boraly... Brohemia!" She sounded giddy as she dashed over to her desk to write the idea.

"What do you think?" She stopped to ask him one more time, pushing his face up by the chin."

Drake stopped, stretching out his arms. "I think its a good idea."He answered, thinking fond thoughts. Then, he continued on, ignoring her as she went back to her game; if he was going on this date tomorrow, he'd need to make sure the weekend's homework was done.


	10. My Little Sister Can't Be On a Date!

**Author Notes: Now, here's a moment you've probably been waiting for; the first actual date! **

**Again, I apologize for the delay. I won't bore you with the details, but I've been dealing with a few personal issues that haven't had me in the right mood to write what amounts to an awkwardly romantic chapter. It'll be a cold day in Cairo, though, before I call quits on this project prematurely. I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!**

**I feel guilty for keeping you waiting, so expect multi-chapter turnouts the next few days. **

**Chp. IX: My Little Sister Can't Be On A Date With Me!**

"I'm not ready for this."

Drake was blatantly honest with himself as he sat there that Saturday morning, staring at the door to his little room. He could hear the birds chirping outside, the rest of the family getting together for a morning breakfast, but inside his room he couldn't see the morning light; just the ruddy glow of the lightbulb above him as he contemplated his problems.

His cloths lay strewn around the closet, each outfit taken out and tossed into a "no" pile. To be honest, the fanciest thing he had with him was his school uniform; and to be honest, he hadn't washed it in a few days, giving his room a slightly ripe smell. He looked down on all his different polos; light blue, dark blue, maroon, black, even a sort of goldish one that was his personal favorite. He sifted through the pile one more time, just be sure, but still didn't find anything better. _Well that's just great,_ he cursed his situation as he tossed on the golden polo, somewhat reluctantly, before opening the door.

He found Kirino lying back on her bed, staring at the ceiling as music blared from her ear-buds... some kind of techno the best he could make out. She didn't even recognize him as he floated through the room, mind shuffling through the dozens of questions he'd been neglecting. _What should I do? What should I say? How is she going to take it?_ As he wandered his way into the bathroom, opening his mouth to brush his teeth, he started to wish he'd had more experience dating. The fact was, he'd only done it once before, and that was only a double date... not exactly a fair comparison to what he was doing now.

The minty taste clung to his tounge long after he spit the wash out, watching his face as he combed down his hair. His nervousness was causing a crinkle in his brow, something he frowned at as he straightened out the last chink in his hair, running a finger through the rought surface. This was the one thing he'd never liked about himself; the color looked a very thing mud. Whenever he'd looked at his father, seeing that shining platinum blonde, he'd always felt self conciouss... just like he was feeling now. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of shaving, be decided against it, collecting himself in long, deep breaths as he returned to the hallway.

The sound of the front door closing downstairs followed him as he walked past his/Kirino's door, the house falling into a sullen silence. He continued walking, unfazed, besides keeping his eyes to the floor. The peace was actually enjoyable; not getting pounced on by Kirino for once, as he settled himself into sofa, flipping ideally through the television channels for something that interested him.

_Weird Japanese game show, some talk show, commercial for... ew, _he let himself droop as he continued the mindless exercise, not even paying much attention to half the stuff he skipped. This went on for about another half a minute, before he came onto something he couldn't help but perk up at ; an old poke'mon re-run. "Hey," he spoke to it, as if greeting an old friend. "Long time no see." He pulled himself up so he sat cross-legged as he leaned in to watch the show he remembered from so long ago, eyes smiling at the familiar and entertaining sights.

So, he watched, not stopping to grab breakfast or even check the news. It filled him with a warm nostalgia, keeping his attention rapt. In fact, he was so focused on the TV he jumped startled when he suddenly realized somebody was behind him, looking up to see Kyousuke staring at him curiously.

"Deikmann-san," he sounded only mildly interested, keeping an aura of property. "I didn't realize you were into that sort of thing."

After the initial shock, Drake was quick to respond, leaning himself over the back of the couch. "This?" he responded. "Ya, I watch it sometimes. Why?"

"No reason," Kyousuke responded, settling himself in next to him. "Just not something I expected from you." He blinked a few times, Drake flittering between him and the show. "I guess you have a few disks of your own, eh?"

"Ya," Drake was glad this was turning out so casual, talking like they were two guy friends. "But I left that back home. Baggage fees are expensive." The two weren't even looking at each other any more, just watching as the episode started to wind its way down.

"Really?" Kyousuke pressed the subject.

"Um, ya." Drake gave him a questioning look. "I think I know what I brought with me."

"Alright then," Kyousuke finished with a shrug, pushing his way back to his feet. "I better get going," he cracked his knuckles, starting out the door. "I promised Manami-san I'd help her family at the shop today. You want me to bring you something sweet home?"

Drake flipped off the tv as the credits started to roll, content. "Na, I'm good."

Kyouske left the room a few seconds later, Drake just sitting there. _That was nice_ he told himself as he started back up the stairs, deciding he wasn't that hungry after all. For a moment, all the worries he'd had that morning were gone, left behind somewhere in the couch cushions as he walked into Kirino's room, the girl still in the same spot she'd been before.

He started to slid out the door to his little closet when a familiar buzzing sound hit his ear. Almost instinctually, he reached into his pocket for his cell phone, only to find the device wasn't vibrating. _Odd_ he thought to himself as he looked for the source of the noise, only to see Kirino's phone clattering along the surface of her desk, Kirino obviously lost to her music. He walked over and picked the phone up, flipping it open and putting it to his ear without a second thought. "Hey," he answered casually, traveling over to Kirino's bedside. "I'll get Kirino on in just a second."

"Deikmann-san?" He thought he recognized the voice from the other end, purring and peppy. "Oh Deikmann-san! This is Kanako, from Wednesday , remember?"

"Oh, Kanako-san," Drake pulled up a mental picture of her. "Ya, it's me. Kirino's just listening to some music right now. I'll put her on." Drake tapped Kirino's shoulder with one hand, drawing up her lazy face to his. She paused to stare at the receiver which was presented to her, before she snatched it away, pulling off her ear buds with one strong tug.

"Hey Kanako!" She greeted, pushing herself back up into a sitting position. "Ya, they are cute, aren't they?" Drake found himself standing their awkwardly, not exactly sure of what was going on, before he received a stern wave from Kirino, directing him back to his room. "Oh, I should tell you about what I saw there yesterday! It may be a bit pricey, but they'd be perfect on you..." Drake let the conversation fade into the background as he pulled his door closed behind him, sloshing through the little nest of cloths he'd managed to make.

_10:30_, he looked at the display on his cell phone, letting his mind go back to the day ahead. "Four more hours," he whispered to himself as he pulled out what was left of his homework... a particularly difficult set of math problems. He had to force himself to keep on the numbers in front of him, gritting his teeth as he tried to work out the arcane equations. "Bloody flux," he swore from time to time, crumpling away a sheet of scratch paper after a problem done wrong, the pile of paper mixing with the pile of cloths. It diden't take too long for his mind to start to wander, pen dragging off the paper at time as random thoughts seemed to bubble to the surface

_His best friend, Tration, and himself, sitting side by side and across the table from their dates._

_The state semi-finals from last year's soccer game, the 6-6 score staying stead as the clock ticked down and he forced his way down the field_

He managed to break himself out of the stream before falling into it completely, humming a little tune to keep himself on task. Though, he'd hardly started again when he felt a tingle against his thigh, reaching in to pull out his phone.

"Hey," he acknowledged the caller as he always did, setting his pen down. "Drake speaking."

"Deikmann-sami?" THAT voice he was sure about, though not what he'd been expecting.

"Ah, Aragaki-san," he was genuinely glad to hear from her, though he couldn't really suppress the surprise in his voice. "How'd you get my number?"

"Kirino told me," she seemed to rush through the sentence, sounding a bit flustered herself. "I was just... I was just calling to make sure you still wanted to take me out today."

"Of course I do," he stated happily, but smiling slightly _That clever girl... stealing my number._Though, he really didn't blame Kirino; this date could have been a nightmare if she hadn't done what she did. "Did you think I was going to change my mind?"

He tried to keep his tone joking, but she obviously took it a little more seriously. "No." She stated quickly, trying to recover. " I wanted to make sure you didn't forget. I've been looking forward to this all week." She seemed to be calming down a bit, Drake adjusting himself slightly as he felt something rub into his butt the wrong way.

"I'm sure." Drake tried not to confident. "I'm pretty glad you called too. I don't think we ever set up a place for you and I to meet? I was thinking we could start at the park, maybe?"

There was a pause on the other end for a brief moment. "Actually," her voice sounded sweeter than usual. "If you don't mind... could you pick me up at my house? I could use the extra time to get ready."

"No problem," Drake affirmed, patting himself on the back for how well this was going. "I'll just need some directions, and I'll be on my way."

"Of course!" She answered like it was an order. "It's not that hard to remember. Just start by taking a right our of Kirino's neighborhood..."

* * *

Drake stood before the door, making a few last minute checks.

He breathed a strong puff into his palm, feeling only a gentle heat as he did. Check. He straightened down his hair and stubble, examining himself in the doorknob. Check. He tucked his polo back into his pants for what must have been the fifth time since he'd put them on. Check. Not waiting for the uncertainty to set in again, he straightened his back, rapping his knuckles against the surface, the knock light, but firm, his mind thinking back to what little he could remember about dating.

_What are you doing? _Part of his mind still protested as he waited for somebody to open the door. _This girl could be your sister for crying out loud. Your only supposed to take out your relatives on a date is if its your cousin and you're a loser without a prom date. _Of course, fighting that thought was another, a scene from Summer House, Tsukiko sitting next to him at a community dinner. _Oh, Oni-sami, this is just like a date!_

He focused on putting both of those thoughts down, instead staring straight into the door frame and counting the number of paint chips. One, two, three...of course, he quickly lost interest staring emptily into the door just as it was pulled out of the way.

Then, all he could see was Ayase and, to be honest, that wasn't exactly a problem. She was letting her hair hang loose today, side bangs held forward by he shoulders as she stood there. Around her neck was a well-set choker, a shade of purple slightly lighter than her eyes. Her white blouse left the shoulders bared, held up by spaghetti ties, the short sleeves ending in a light pink fringe. Farther down, she was covered by a baby-blue skirt, the multiple, stiff layers shading each other as they reached down to just above her knees. Of course, she'd put in a lot of work with her makeup too; gentle blush, maschera, and lipstick the color of blushing flesh... to be honest, he had to stop himself from staring.

"Hey Aragaki-chan," he found himself using the honorific without thinking, smiling casually. "You look lovely this morning."

She smiled at the compliment, pulling her brown leather purse up on her shoulder. "Thank you," she accepted gracefully, though she still didn't take a step. "I wasn't sure you'd like it. It's something new we'll be showing in the next issue."

Drake felt the ball come into his court, thinking back to what little dating advise he'd managed to grab over his life. "Well, in my opinion, more girls should wear nice cloths like that," he assured her, offering his arm. "Now, what do you say you come out here with me?"

She looked down at it for a moment, not quiet reaching out for it, but it was only a second later that she took it, her arm hooking around his. He looked down at her and smiled, leading their way down the steps. "So... where are we going?" She asked, seeming a bit tight as she followed him.

"Well," he thought aloud, still not quiet sure himself but being careful to hide it. "Maybe I'm being a bit cliché, but I think a movie is the best idea. I haven't been to any Japanese theatres yet." He kept one eye focused on where he was walking, but he always made sure to turn back to Ayase, watching as she slowly grew more comfortable on him.

"That'd be nice," she said honestly, the sidewalk slowly growing busier as they got farther from her house. "Just, nothing too scary alright?" She sounded like she was admitting something, though he couldn't quite be sure what.

"Will do," he told her, gently tugging her to the side to avoid a passing businessman, caught in his phone conversation. There was a moment of silence before he continued. "So Aragaki-san," he shifted back to the ordinary honorific. "Tell me about yourself."

"Hmm?" She looked up, like she hadn't heard him.

"You know," he continued, making sure to keep watch ahead as they turned the corner. "Like, your favorite color, for instance. Or your hobbies." He looked down with genuine interest, watching as her eyes grew just a bit wider.

"Well," she started slowly, trying to avoid looking him in the eye. "I'm a model of course, so I like cloths. I'm also a pretty big fan of television dramas," she started to speed up, the main district of town falling open before them. "Of course, I like keeping up with my studies... and I'm not the worst cook in the world." She smiled at that last comment, as if congratulating herself. "Sushi is my favorite food, in fact, and what I make best. But, enough about me," she broke off into a bit of a stutter at the end. "What about you?"

"Me?" Drake was quicker on the draw, actually pretty comfortable after she'd gotten the awkward part out of the way. "Well, I'm here from America... Minneapolis, in particular. I play soccer, enjoy politics and debate, do some writing when I have the time." He was smooth, reaching up to scratch his nose. "I'm pretty funny, if I do say so myself, and wouldn't turn down sushi myself." He laughed a bit at the end. "Though we don't get much inland."

"What's in like, in Minneapolis?" She asked almost as soon as he finished, clinging to him a bit tighter to get out of the way of another pedestrian he didn't see.

"Well, it's not Hawaii," he admitted, steering them around another corner. "It's a bit like Chiba, though not as much built up. We've got a lot of farmland close by, plenty of parks, a lot of theatres, and the Mississippi is beautiful." He rambled on, Ayase seeming to drink up the detail. "It isn't Hollywood, but its got a life of its own."

"Really," she seemed genuinely intrigued. "Maybe I'll have to visit there someday. It sounds nice."

"It is, it is," Drake looked up and spotted the illuminated sign... he thought it read cinema though it wasn't a word he was particularly familiar with. "Well, here we are," he lead her inside, the warm sun of midday replaced by cool, air-conditioned breezes, making sure to keep the door open for her as they entered.

Soon, he was surrounded by options. Posters for horror movies, action movies, love dramas, comedies... and all the while Ayase was looking around too. _Think, Drake, think_ he pestered himself, looking over his options. There was a poster of two high schooler sitting under a tree in the rain, looking at each other longingly. _Not on the first date_. Something that showed a set of ravaging masked demons. _Too scary_. Then, the smell of buttery popcorn hitting his nose and causing his tounge to moisten, he spotted what he wanted, just as Ayase turned in the same direction and saw it too.

"Lets go see that one," they said to each other at the same time, getting both of them to laugh.

Drake guided her up to the ticket counter, pressing down her hand as she reached for her purse. "I've got this," He patted it into her skirt as he pulled out his own wallet, flipping for the yen he'd changed out. "Two tickets for Skyriders, please," he set the money on the counter, the cashier quickly clicking out two tickets, Drake and Ayase each reaching out the grab them, fingers brushing as they did. Drake treated it as though it were nothing, though he felt Ayase get just a bit closer as he walked into the theatre, buying the popcorn and the two of them settling themselves in for the movie.

The theatre was sparely populated, the two of them taking seats about midway up, their arms finally separating as they sat down, Drake carrying the popcorn cradled in one arm and Ayase setting the soda between them. Drake let himself lean back a bit, watching as the previews started to scroll down.

"So," Ayase asked, sitting a little stiffer then he was. "Theatres in America are like this too, right?"

"Pretty much," Drake turned over to her as he answered, before taking a nice mouthful of the popcorn, letting the seeds crunch between his teeth. "A little bigger maybe, but about the same."

"Deikmann-sami," she started, but was interrupted by the start of the movie, the house lights fading out. "I'll tell you later." She sounded a bit embaressed as the real movie roared to life.

To be honest, it was pretty impressive. The story was about a city floating in the sky, and the protagonist one of the pilots who flies down to the earth to gather supplies and trade. Of course, during the story he meets a strange girl living alone in the woods, and takes her back up the city only to find she's being hunted. It was mostly an action flick, with a lot of dogfights and chase scenes, more exciting then scary. There were a few tense moments when Ayase leaned in a bit closer to him, Drake patting her on the shoulder and smiling in the shadows, but mostly it was just casual fun, a good way to pass a few hours. In the end, though, the credits rolled, and he Ayase grabbing for his hand, gripping it lightly as they both stood up.

"That was a good movie, hu?" He asked her, the two starting down the aisle, the ending track, high and mighty, hitting their ears from all directions.

"It was," she sounded happy, her pace picking up a bit as they walked back into the main theatre area. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

They walked out the front door together, the glaring heat of midday having faded into a gentle late afternoon, the stale aftertaste of popcorn in his mouth begging for something to cleanse his pallet. "You hungery?" He asked her as they walked side by side down the thoroughfare, the light breeze fluttering the fringe of Ayase's skirt.

"That'd be nice," she was quick to answer, sounding like she'd just received a compliment. "But... I can pay this time. It's not a bother." A bit of guilt seemed to creep into her voice, as she pulled her slipping purse back up.

"Nonsense Aragaki-san," Drake squeeze her hand playfully, shrugging. "Call me old fashioned, but in America the guy pays." He gave her a knowing smile, only to see Ayase's eyes light up, remembering something.

"Oh," she stopped, Drake's forward movement stopped with her. "Deikmann-san, I still have to tell you something." She shuffled her feet, looking down. "If you don't mind... could you call me by my first name? I just think it would sound better, coming from you?" She looked back up, hopefully, only to see Drake suppress a chuckle, staring her in the eye.

"Alright Ayase-chan," the nervousness seemed to be whipped from her in one moment, her face beaming. "It's not like it's too big of a deal for me." He tugged on her arm, her body taking a few steps with his. "Now, come on, let's get something to eat."

They walked a few blocks down the street, looking at the different restaurants on the side. Though he had the popcorn sitting in his stomach, Drake could still feel some hunger as he passed the different places, though on in particular caught his eye; a sushi shop, the conveyor belt visible through the window.

"I like that place," Ayase chimed in, looking in the window with him. "They always seem to have alot more choices than anybody else."

"Well then," Drake looked over at her, letting her know he heard. "That's where I'll take you." The pair stepped inside, watching the different confections pass by. After paying the clerk, they were able to get even closer, Drake's hand hovering over the belt like he was preparing to snatch a fish out of a lake.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye, just coming out of the far end. It looked like crab rolls, the sight of one of his favorite dishes immediately drawing his hand over. Ayase seemed to take them more carefully, taking time to follow a plate for a few seconds before grabbing it. Drake placed on the rolls in his mouth as Ayase took her third plate, chewing the savory flesh and enjoying the juice as Ayase laughed, Drake suddenly feeling a slight bit of juice running out of his mouth and smiling himself once he swallowed, whipping it away with his napkin. The rest of the meal went a lot smoother, standing next to each other and Drake even handing her one of his after he saw Ayase eying it. In the end, they both found they couldn't quite finish their last piece, leaving it behind as Drake lead them out, patting his belly.

The day was still lingering as they stood their, under the canopy, ideally chit-chatting as the crowds went by. "Deikmann-sami," she mentioned, shifting away a piece of stray hair. "If you don't mind me asking, have you dated before?"

"Not really," he said almost reflexively... though his face suddenly looked a little shocked. _Oh right... _he'd been having so much fun, he hadn't been thinking about that fact all night. _But, It did do pretty good I think._"Why do you ask?"

"Well," she pulled back, a bit embarrassed by the look on his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up..."

"No, no," Drake made a dismissive gesture. "It just seems like an odd question to ask." Trying to fix the situation, he took her hand, rubbing a finger against the back of it softly. "Still, I'm sure they wouldn't have been as fun as this one."

"Please, stop." Ayase blushed, though she didn't pull herself from his grip. "It's just, like you had everything under control. You were so relaxed, and I'm." She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. "That makes me relaxed too. Thanks."

"No problem," Drake slowed started to lead her back down the road to her house, letting her hook around his arm again, enjoying the soft, floral scent he haven't noticed before, wafting off Ayase's face. "That's a nice perfume. What kind is it?"

Ayase almost let herself hang their as she answered. "Cherry Blossom," she answered simply, taking a smell of it herself. "Its one of my favorites." Their was just a content silence for the rest of the journey before they reached the door again, the lights now on in Ayase's home as he dropped her off at the door.

"I had a good time, Deikmann-sami," she bowed in thanks, Drake catching the tiniest of glimpses down her shirt, purely by accident of course. "Perhaps... we could do this again?"

"Sure." He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing her tight as he opened the door for her. "Now, you better get in. Daddy's waiting." He closed the door behind her once she entered, enjoying the very slight cherry smell as he started his way back.

_Such a sweet girl... _he thought to himself as he wandered back.

_Sort of like Tsukiko..._


	11. Omake Theature I: Crossing Paths

**And Now, a word from your author:**

Alright, please don't be mad at me for not updating.

The reason for this is two-fold. First, all my professors seemed to have the same bright idea that this week would be the PERFECT week to assign our biggest assignments yet, including several six-page papers which, really, sucked the writing spirit right out of me, alongside all the studying for midquarters and such. Despite all of that, however, I've managed to pull together, what I believe, is a rather impressive chapter.

Which brings me to reason 2; I'm delaying the release until Friday because that is when the final episode of Nakaimo- My sister is among them, is being released and streamed. Besides the ceremonial reason, I'm also doing this because Chp. X: His Little Sister Can't Go To An RL Meeting, contains my first major crossover character; Mei Sagara. Thus, if you want to know a little about her beforehand, this is your opportunity.

Again, I apologize for the delay, especially after such a major event as Drake and Ayase's first date. However, know I appreciate your readership, and that I hope you'll follow me all the way to the end of the Sister Quest series!

-With all due respect and hugs

Dark Glass.

PS: So this chapter isn't a complete waste of your time, I've taken the liberty of including a bit of Omake Theature.

(Warning: Do not read Omake Theatre if you are operating heavy machinery. This update may cause laughter, lethargy, uncontrolled groaning, or some emotional distress. Omake Theatre is not meant for children under the age of 3 or people who do not watch anime. It may also cause cancer, since everything seems to nowadays. Also, this Omake IS part of the story, just painfully short.)

**Omake Theature I: Kirino's Chance Encounter OR Crossing Paths With A Black Cat.**

It had been a four hour wait. But, in the end, the rush she was feeling right now was worth it.

Kirino's face lite up like a kid in a candy store when she'd finally gotten to the front of the line, entering the city's fabled gaming shop. The place was literally backed with everything she could possibly ever want; games, DVD's, guides, manga, figurines, posters, and dolls, ling every shelf as deep as the shop went, packed to the brim with people just like her... well, mostly. Right now, even if there had been a flaw, she wouldn't have noticed it, forcing herself not to slow down and marvel the scenery as she worked her way to the desk set up in the back, an ever-increasing crowd and ever-shrinking pile of special-edition packages bordering it. She could make out the collection's artwork on the poster, towering above the heads of the customers, showing the a team of handsome, young fantasy adventures standing with backs to one another, demonic enemies approaching from the sky as a number of citizens, many of them little sisters, looked up from below the platform, the title The Chronicles of Rilliea, written in a noble style across the top. Accorded to all the sources, it was supposed to be a mixture between a romance sim and a masterpiece adventure game... two things she just couldn't miss.

Eventually, she found herself at the back of the mass, tapping her foot impatiently as the stink of hundreds of excited gamers fell over the area. She did everything she could to distract herself; checking her phone, looking around at the other merchandise, she even started jogging in place at once point, getting a few queer looks. It's just, she couldn't help herself; she was so excited, she just couldn't keep the energy in!

Still, as time went on, that excitement started to turn to worry; what if their weren't even. From within the crowd, even if she hopped, she was far too short to see exactly how things were going, and even the sounds where inconclusive. Slowly, she stopped her insenent moving, glancing warily for anyone who might try to take her spot. She made sure to fill any empty space almost as soon as it appeared, her arms folded before, finally, she reached the front and held out her arms.

"One Chronicles of Rilliea, please." She asked as politely as she could, only to hear her voice coming along side one lower... darker. Her glare shot over to the source of that voice; some loli girl dressed like she was attending a funeral or something, her mere presence slightly disturbing in and off itself... and only partially because Kirino's fist was already subconsciously trying to form, fingers twitching in.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man manning the desk reached back to the very base of what was once a mighty pile, the last box, still covered in the scent of fresh cardboard, getting moved to the table in front of them. "We only have one left in stock. You two are just going to have to descide amongst yourselves who gets it."

Their eyes met almost immediately, the two entering what could only be called a malicious stare down. The girl took a single, cultured step towards her rival, dark eyes cold and hard. Kirion, on the other hand, looked on with burning passion, pushing up her shoulders to try to look as intimidating as possible. There was a minute of silence as each sized up the other in their own way, a small crowd of interested faces starting to congregate, hushed and not so hushed whispers providing a background.

"So," the girl finally said, her voice as mysterious as she was. "You want this game, correct?"

"Of course I do!" Kirino was even more annoyed by the lack of concern she was showing. "I've waited for months to get this."

The girl remained stoic to the words yelled at her. "And," she continued, voice slowly growing more and more detached. "this is a game you're willing to argue with me for... even fight me for, and still pay the money."

"If I had to," the blood flow to Kirino's head was starting to pulse in her ears as the tension grew. "That's exactly what I'd do."

The girl's laugh was half a cackle, soft but demeaning. "A pity," she stopped after only a brief moment, lifting up the box and rubbing the top posessively, humming to herself. "This game is terribly cursed... yes, I can feel it." This was starting to get extremely creepy, though a tossed cough of "catfight" managed to lighten things a bit. "Curse to bring upon its owner dreams of forbidden things, to torture them with loves never gained and words never said, each mistake living with you every night." Nothing on her face or body suggested she was saying anything other than the truth, but Kirino clearly didn't think so, her expression a mix of curiosity and disgust. "I won't touch this thing." She said after looking into Kirino's face, placing it back on the table. "You may take it if you wish."

Kirino just stood there for a moment, trying to sort everything out. "What the..." her voice dragged off as she picked up the packaged, taking on a more prideful, reluctant look once it was safe in her grasp. "Well, if your that against owning it." She tried to sound exasperated, as if doing her a favor, but her heart still lept up a little inside. The crowd started to disperse at that point, but still she remained, Kirino not feeling comfortable enough to step away.

"People call me Kuroneko." She finally said.

Kirino, not quite sure how to take it, retreated back to what she'd done as a child. "And I'm Kirino." The awkward air still hung, however, Kuroneko refusing to step away.

"So..." the box was shifted under her arms as she pressed down her hair, looking for something to say. "I'm just going to go get some lunch now."

Before she could turn, however, she noticed Kuroneko drop her face slightly, light falling on her eyes. "How nice, I know the perfect café not too far from here. You really must come."

At that point, Kirino shrugged. "Sure." Really, she owed her... and the rumbling in her stomach told her it was about time.

Besides, how bad could it possibly be?


	12. His Little Sister Can't Join OGU!

**Author Note: Floppy Black Hats. Indeed**

**Considering everybody and their sister seems to be returning from hiatus, I shall as well. I can not promise perfection. I can not promise updates at the same speed as The Great September. What I can promise you, however, is that this story will be completed! *Insert Evil Cackle here***

**Chp. X: His Little Sister Can't Join an Online Otaku Group! **

_*Bzzzt*, *Bzzzt*, *Bzzzt* _

_What was that noise? _She thought, another goblin fading to glittering gold dust, her long sword passing right through it. It sounded like the drone of bees, lots of bees; but she'd already cleared this area out of enemies. She turned back to the twin sister's she'd just saved; identical except for their hair, one an almost silver-white and the other jet black. Even with the monsters gone, they still seemed to be shaking for some reason. It was the ground, rumbling softly beneath her. She tried to ignore it, slowly walking over to where they stood, but the buzzing only grew louder and louder, wearing away at her nerves.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore, and swatted in the general direction of the sound, only to have the world fall apart around her. Instead, it was replaced by the back of her eyelids, the buzzing noise continuing to her left.

With a long, deep yawn, she stretched out her stiff back, rubbing away the sleep before opening them to a rather oppressive glare. She had to blink a few times before she could look at it directly without her eyes burning. When she could eventually focus, she saw she was staring at the only light in the room; her computer screen, with an open e-mail flickering on it.

_Greetings Kirino-san _she read to herself, as she passively reached down to the floor to fish up her phone, finally turning off the annoying buzz. _Despite your childishness, I must admit our discussion yesterday had energy I found stimulating for the soul. So I might have a chance to study your innate forces again, I present an invitation to join an elite sisterhood of forbidden lore. The attached link should allow you access to our website, and I expect your presence at our scheduled gatherings. _

_Kuroneko._

Kirino couldn't help but smile and clench her fists at the same time. The way that girl spoke to her… it was so demeaning. She thought she was some fancy princess of darkness, too good for the likes of masterpieces like Meruru. She'd have slapped her right across the face if it wasn't for that cute little waitress watching, She'd been taller than her, sure, and older… but the way she'd worn that fluffy apron, the sweet sharpness of her voice, and the way she'd winked while just barely touching her cheek… even the memory of it had her spinning around the chair, giggling to herself before she pressed the link, letting the site load to a page headed Otaku Girls Unite!

Sure enough, it had everything a decent Otaku could want; pages on anime and games of all sorts, clips and factoids with dozens of posts attached to them, discussing everything from character development to debating what that dog in the background at 2:39 meant. She clicked through the various menus as lighting speed, taking in as much of it as she could. This was something she could be part of, something she wanted to be part of. If only there was a way to…

Then, she noticed the register icon at the top of the screen. Leaning in, and focusing intently on the text fields as she worked her way down. The sunlight peeking through her blinds, the faint, bitter smell of coffee coming in through the vent, the footsteps from down the hall; all of that was unimportant. In fact, she was so caught up she missed them completely, the next few minutes a blur of kanji and check boxes.

Then, just as she was about to verify her decision, she was interrupted by a voice. "Kirino, are you awake up there? You're going to be late!" It was her mother, calling up the from the kitchen. For a brief moment, all of her muscles tightened, mouse reflexively moving to minimize the browser.

"Just a minute," she hurriedly responded, quickly submitted the online form before rushing to her dresser, flopping down on her bed and yanking off her shorts. She was still in the same cloth's she'd been wearing yesterday; jean shorts and a nice, light-pink sunshirt, she hadn't applied her make-up, and her hair was still frazzled from sleep. There was no way she was going to be caught dead looking so unkept! She ran about so fast, it was almost like she was teleporting form place to place; throwing her pants off, yanking her school uniform off its hanger, setting herself down on the stool next to her nightstand and applying at least her foundation and lipstick, running a brush through her hair with one hand while picking the crust from her eye with the other. It was the half-hour she usually took to get ready in the morning, crunched down into five minutes. She burst out into the hallway, hair flying behind her as she rushed towards the bathroom. _I just slept through my alarm... ya, that's it. _She thought as she reached for the knob mid-step, only to have it shift out of the way as the door opened in front of her. Thankfully, her athlete's reflexes stepped in to save her, arms shooting out mid-fall to brace her against the door and frame, face stopping half an inch short of something white.

Her eyes quickly ran up the surface, narrowing in intensity as she finally made out Kyousuke's face, looking down at her in his typical apathy, slowly moving the toothbrush in his mouth from side to side... and continuing to slow down as their eye's met, finally reaching a complete stop. After that brief moment of tension Kirino grit her teeth for a moment, before craning back her neck, and coming down on his stomach with a full-forced headbutt. He could feel the blunt impact knocking the air right out of him, which at the moment included the saliva-toothpaste mixture in his mouth, the grey liquid arching through the air for a short time before falling right between his assailant's shoulders, quickly sinking into a not-so-subtle stain, before her drew in a deep, sharp breath, still tasting the minty freshness.

She shuddered as the wetness sank in, even her brother now slightly phased at the level of murderiousness on her face. "You... stupid slob!" She growled as she pushed herself back to her feet, stomping. "What did you do to my uniform?". Before he answered, Kyousuke gently placed his toothbrush back on the sink.

"It nothing." He told her, shrugging it off as he attempted to skirt around his sister and get down to breakfast. "The neckpeice goes over it." Yet, try as he might, she kept shifting in front of where he wanted to walk. She kept this up for a good minute, arms folded and nose stuck up in disgust, him trying to keep a normal calm through the whole thing. That girl was so stubborn... she'd keep this up all day, just to torture him.

However, their standoff was broken by a noise; a loud, gruff clearing of the throat, powerful enough to be heard from all the way downstairs... a sound that both drew their attention immediately. Though Kirino kept shooting daggers as they walked down the hall, she let him pass, albeit with a quiet humph. They arrived on the ground floor just in time to see their mother laying out the family's breakfast; five plates of rice and omelets, Daisuke staring forward stoically while Drake sat right across from him, seemingly ill-at-ease and avoiding direct eye contact with the man. **  
**

"Good morning, Father." They both said, simultaneously, hiding the tension of their recent spat behind a polite tone. They took their spots at the table, opposite of one another, similarly trying to avoid looking at one another. It created a general sense of awkward around the table, as Kirino generally stared Drake down, Daisuke did the same with Kyousuke, and they two boys perfectly still in their chairs, trying not to make a mess of things. Thankfully, though, their mother arrived shortly, pouring the last of the drinks and starting the meal. There wasn't much conversation going on at the table; the quiet sound of chewing and the scratch of wood on porcaline competing with each other for dominance. Even after a few weeks in Japan, Drake still seemed to be having a problem adjusting to the chopsticks, adding the occasional light flop to the silence as well. It wasn't until the end of the meal, when the dishes were in the sink and the children were donning their shoes, that somebody finally bothered to say something.

"Have a safe day, alright?" Yoshino said sweetly as Kyousuke opened the door outside, Drake and Kirino fast on his heels. They weren't 10 steps from the door though when Kirino started to the actual conversation, now out of earshot of their father. "So, how was it?" She leaned in and whispered, slowing down to let her brother get a good distance ahead of them.

To that, Drake, just coming down from the stress he'd seemed to have at dinner, tightened up again. "It?" He questioned, somehow managing to stutter on a single syllable word.

"Don't be stupid." she spared a glance at Kyousuke, who was continuing to walk forward as if he didn't even know them. "It. Tell me." She seemed usually perky this morning, what with how late she'd kept him up last night with all her new game's crashing and flashing and her won giggling. It was really starting to give him bags... especially after the night before.

"It was... fine," he said, trying his best to sound normal. Yet, he ended up receiving a tight pinch on the arm from Kirino, holding the yelp between his teeth as asked again. "Look, can we talk later?" He yawned. "I'm not really in the mood for this right now."

"Come on, Ayase will want to know!" She said, voice growing loud enough to catch Kyousuke's attention, the young man looking over his shoulder, suddenly appearing a bit more interested then usual, staring directly at Kirino, who matched him eye for eye. "Can't you tell we're talking, Aniki? Seriously, some people have no respect for privacy, Deikmann-san." She pulled herself way from him, giving a sweet-yet-serious look that said _We're talking later _As they reached the split in their two paths, Kirino heading off to the west while Drake hustled to catch up to Kyousuke going east, taking long, deep breaths to help calm himself down.

* * *

Drake let out a huge sigh of relief as the lunch bell finally rang, allowing him to finally stand up and put away this jumbled mess he called a Calculus assignment. He couldn't understand anything the teacher had said the whole class... in the technical sense. He'd actually gotten used to hearing the sound of Japanese. In fact, he could swear he was starting to think in it. It was kinda scary if he thought about it too much... but right now, as he jostled his way through the crowd of kids going for the door, he wasn't thinking about much of anything. Except, that is, is lunch. He fingered today's lunch money in his pockets as he started the short walk over the cafeteria, passing a group of runners from boy's phys-ed. Most of the kids he talked to during school didn't have lunch the same time as him; Takugi, and rumor was he'd caught a nasty case of the stomach flu. So, it was just going to be him and whatever he could eat.

Though, considering the selection he saw at the cafeteria when he finally arrived, that wouldn't be so bad. Sweet buns, junk sandwiches... something that looked really good even though it said it had scorpion in it. He looked carefully over the options as he moved his way through the line. So many choices, so little time...

_*Bzzzt*, *Bzzzt*, *Bzzzt*_

The sound was accompanied by the light vibration in his pocket... his phone was ringing. Without thinking much of it, he pulled it out, politely saying "Hello." to the other end of the line.

There was a moment of silence, before something both familer and painful hit his eardrums. "HIYA, BIG GUY!" It was so loud and cheerful that at least the people next to him in line could hear it, and give him slightly funny looks. Drake's smile widened even more at the familiar tone... something he hadn't heard in awhile put demanded an immediate response.

"HIYA TO YOU TOO!" He shouted, quiet clearly, in English, garnering the undivided attention of the entire cafeteria. His next breath caught in his throat as he noticed their stares, a cold feeling running down his neck as he slowly, silently backed his way out of the line, before running like hell out of the building, stomach turning in embarrassment. "Long time no see." He chuckled once he got outside, nonchalantly trying to put as much distance between him and the place as possible.

"Well, why is that?" the voice on the other side asked knowingly and happily. "Its because you're in Japan! Oh, I'm so jealous I could just huggils you!"

Yep... there was nobody this could possibly be but Rain. She'd always had a certain general outspokenness cute peppiness, and just that slight hint of a Canadian accent. He'd head this voice almost all the time back home, they hung out so much. She just had... life to her. In fact, she was the one who'd encouraged him to learn Japanese in the first place... he'd have to thank her again for that. "Ya, its pretty nice." He told her back, trying to sound cool and calm. "I'm just sorry you couldn't come with."

"UGGGH, I know." She went on melodramatically, as he casually shifted out of the way of an oncoming group. "My parents are SO unfun. They say I've already brought enough of Japan over here. But I don't have NEARLY as much as you do."

"Well, they did already give you a hall closet to store your cosplay stuff in." He joked. "But that's nothing compared to my closet. I actually LIVE in one." He heard a strange gasp at the other end, followed by the most girly squeal you could possibly imagine... but it made her so fun to be around.

" More!" She asked rapidly, the light rush of paper being heard in the background. "Tell me more."

Drake slipped off the main throughfare, taking a rest in a nice, shaded spot next to the main building. "Well," he couldn't help but laugh a bit again at how silly she sounded, especially as his first real English experience in weeks. "I got a room with this really nice family. Their daughter'd been using a spare room as a closet; she's a model, by the way, but her father rented it out to be. Something about a test or something. She's a bit obsessive... but she's usually nice to be around."

"Oh, that sounds so unique! If I could just study abroad like you, we could be roomies! Best friend roomies! You've got to let me visit you sometime, ka?" She asked hopefully... but was quickly interrupted by some loud knocking noise. "Opps... mom's saying lights out. Gotta go bye!" she said the last part so fast he never had time to respond, suddenly on a dead line as kept his smile.

If only he wasn't so hungry.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lower secondary school, Kirino was already well into her lunch, gobbling down the store-bought sandwich as though it was nothing. Of course, the reason she was eating so fast was because she had her phone open in the other hand, continuing to scroll through the Otaku Girls Unite!  site, giggling incessantly through bread crumbs and chewed lettuce.

Of course, Ayase and Kanako would be here soon... but it wouldn't hurt just to take a little peek, right? After all, Kanako would always be one of the last girls to leave class, sticking behind to talk with whomever happened to still be there. She was making sure she got at least a look at every corner of the site, trying to see if their was a section specifically for Imouto Moe... but so far, no luck. Still, there was so much other stuff, and enough cute little girls that she didn't feel totally isolated. Some of these other series actually looked kind of nice too.

Yet, in her insistent digging, she stumbled onto random section after random section, running through whatever caught her fancy. However, one of those links she found particularly intresting, reading Otaku Hangout.

_My Fellow Otaku,_

_I would like to extend my gratitude towards your joining of our establishment, and hopes thou might attend a social I shall be hosting in Akihabara. Here, we mightist meet and greet one another, and discuss our mutual interested in a more socially engaging manner. Should you wish to attend, I will be awaiting you at the entrance of the Cure Maid Café, this Saturday. I do hope you shall grace each other with your presence._

_Your Noble Hostess, Saori._

Below, dozens of others had already responded with comments and messages, telling them they'd be arriving. There must have been two dozen of them... at least! And it was only Monday. Caught up in the excitement, Kirino spoke into her phone. "Yes, of course I'll come!"

"Kirino-chan?" She quickly flipped her phone shut as she heard Ayase approach, smiling as ever. "Who exactly were you talking to?" She asked honestly, Kanako of course keeping an ear to the conversation as she came in.

"Oh, Ayase. You're here already..." She responded, surprised. Discreetly, she set the phone down to her side, struggling for an answer. Ayase's eyes buried into her with a hidden intensity, pupils dilating slightly. "It wasn't anybody important. Deikmann-san just wanted to make sure I'd be home for dinner." She saw the change... the attention drawn of her and into a small smile to him. "By the way," she started to question, pressing the advantage. "Did you two have a good time?" Her freind didn't react nearly the way her roommate did, taking in a deep breath and keeping her composure, sitting herself down.

"We did." She said with simple contentment. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it... just that I didn't feel threatened. It was sweet, really." She paused, realizing the look Kanako was giving her before returning it was a light slap, looking down at her lunch. Well, shall we eat?"


End file.
